The effect of environmental contaminants on the health of seabirds

<p dir="ltr">Even the nest is not a place safe from pollution for seabirds, with many short-tailed shearwaters having been fed meals of plastic by their parents before ever taking flight for the first time. Despite knowing that plastic is ingested by young shearwaters, there is still much that is uncertain with regards to how the amount and type of plastic may affect their normal growth, maturity rates, and health. This study uses methods from veterinary science and ecotoxicology to measure health and size parameters against pollution levels in birds located on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia, in order to assist in determining the degree and types of threats faced by these birds.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><br><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr"><br></p>