Study - Microplastics Found In The Lungs Of 51 Different Bird Species And In Every Single Specimen
A new study has provided the first evidence that microplastics are accumulating in bird lungs. Birds have long been used to give early warnings of environmental risks. The absence of birdsong was used in the evocative title of Rachel Carson’s 1962 book Silent Spring, and for more than a century miners carried caged canaries to warn of carbon monoxide – a practice that ended in UK coalmines only in 1996.
Prof Yongjie Wu, from Sichuan University, who led the study said: “Birds are highly mobile, ecologically diverse and have unique respiratory systems that make them vulnerable to airborne pollutants. We aimed to assess the micro and nanoplastic contamination in bird lungs and evaluate their potential as bioindicators for airborne plastic pollution.”
The researchers analysed the lungs of birds from 51 species. All had been killed as part of a programme to minimise aircraft bird-strikes at China’s Chengdu Tianfu international airport. Microplastics were found in every bird’s lungs. Shane DuBay of the University of Texas at Arlington and part of the research team said: “The result that surprised me the most was the widespread contamination in all species that we sampled, regardless of body size, habitat preference and feeding habits.”
Microplastics were found in all the species studied, with an average of 416 particles in every gram of lung tissue. Terrestrial birds had a greater burden of microplastics compared with aquatic birds, and large birds than smaller ones. The greatest burdens were found in carnivorous and omnivorous birds, suggesting habitat and feeding were important exposure routes – foraging in polluted areas, for example.
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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/21/first-evidence-of-microplastic-buildup-in-bird-lungs-found-in-new-study