Plastic pollution: Birds found eating glitter on Skomer Island

Scientists said the amount of plastic they found was "shocking"

Glitter and other small pieces of plastic have been found inside of seabirds on an island near Wales.

The birds on Skomer Island had eaten over 70 pieces of plastic between them.

Scientists are worried that this could mean birds and other animals all over the UK are eating small pieces of plastic due to pollution.

One of the main problems is microplastics - tiny pieces of plastic that can easily be eaten or breathed in.

Why are birds eating plastic?

The most common seabirds at Skomer Island are puffins, razorbills, guillemots and storm petrels

This is mainly due to plastic pollution. When people use single-use plastics, they end up in landfill, which can seep into local habitats and damage wildlife.

There's also the issue of littering, if rubbish isn't properly disposed of or recycled.

Small pieces of plastic can end up on the surface of the water, which some birds eat, thinking it's food.

Birds could also ingest microplastics by accident, as the pieces of plastic are usually so tiny that they don't notice.

On Skomer Island in Wales, scientists found that out of the 34 seabirds they looked at, 24 of them had ingested small pieces of plastic.

Young people across Wales have taken part in beach clean-ups, to reduce the amount of litter that gets in the sea

The researchers think the plastic on Skomer Island could have come from fishing equipment, from smaller prey that had eaten microplastics, or ingested by birds when they spent time in the South Atlantic.

Seabirds from the island head near Argentina and Uruguay during their non-breeding season.

What does this mean?

Louise Gentle, a wildlife conservation researcher, said it was "shocking to see so much plastic".

When birds or other animals ingest plastic, it can get into their stomachs and make them unwell, which puts the species at risk.

Seabirds on Skomer Island feed from the surface of the water, which means there could be a lot of plastic floating in the sea. This won't just be harming birds, as it can effect fish and other small creatures that live there.

Another researcher involved in the study said the issue in Skomer Island shows "the global plastic crisis currently impacting our precious marine life".

Lisa Morgan, head of islands and marine at the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, said that scientists estimate "99% of seabirds could have plastic in their stomachs by 2050".

What can be done to help seabirds?

Scientists are worried about special birds like the razorbill being at risk if plastic pollution is not tackled

According to the charity, the main way for animals around the coast to be helped is through cutting the use of single-use plastics.

These are plastics that can't be recycled, and just end up in a landfill.

Plastics can last for a really long time in the sea, as they do not break down or decay like other materials.

People can cut down on plastic personally, like making choices to reduce buying new things, or food or drink with plastic packaging.

Businesses and governments can also choose to make big decisions to reduce the amount of single-use plastics, by creating less packaging or encouraging people to re-use or recycle things before throwing them away.