RT Journal Article
T1 Unraveling Plastic Pollution in Protected Terrestrial Raptors Using Regurgitated Pellets
A1 Wayman, Chloe
A1 Fernández Piñas, Francisca
A1 López Márquez, Irene
A1 Fernández Valeriano, Rocío
A1 Iglesias Lebrija, Juan José
A1 González González, Fernando
A1 Rosal, Roberto
A1 González Pleiter, Miguel
AB The threat of plastic pollution has escalated to unprecedented levels, with particular concern surrounding microplastics (MPs) and artificial fibers or particles (AFs) due to their wide distribution across ecosystems and their bioavailability to wildlife. Although research on the impact of plastic on wild birds is rapidly growing, knowledge of terrestrial species remains limited, especially regarding raptors, which have been significantly understudied. Here, we investigated the prevalence of MPs and AFs in regurgitated pellets from six protected terrestrial raptor species, namely the Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus), the Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata), the Little Owl (Athene noctua), the Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni), the Red Kite (Milvus milvus), and the Barn Owl (Tyto alba), collected between 2022 and 2023. Our analysis revealed that 68% of the pellets contained MPs (47 out of 69), and 81% contained AFs (56 out of 69). Additionally, two macroplastics were found inside the pellets: a cable tie in a Red Kite and a bird identification ring in a Cinereous Vulture. The concentrations (mean ± standard error of the mean) were 2.39 ± 0.39 MPs/pellet and 5.16 ± 0.72 AFs/pellet. The concentration of MPs and AFs varied significantly among some of the studied species; however, no significant differences were observed among urban, rural, and protected areas. This could indicate that contamination levels are mainly related to the type of species. Fibers emerged as the predominant contaminant shape, with six different polymers identified, among which PET, PE, and acrylics were the most prevalent. These findings highlight that plastic pollution has reached protected terrestrial raptors and that the impact of plastic on their life cycles needs to be assessed.
PB MDPI
YR 2024
FD 2024
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/118307
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/118307
LA eng
NO Wayman, C.; Fernández-Piñas, F.; López-Márquez, I.; Fernández-Valeriano, R.; IglesiasLebrija, J.J.; González-González, F.; Rosal, R.; González-Pleiter, M. Unraveling Plastic Pollution in Protected Terrestrial Raptors Using Regurgitated Pellets. Microplastics 2024, 3, 671–684. https://doi.org/10.3390/microplastics3040041
NO Author Contributions: Conceptualization, C.W., F.F.-P., I.L.-M., F.G.-G., R.R. and M.G.-P.; Methodology, C.W., F.F.-P., I.L.-M., F.G.-G., R.R. and M.G.-P.; Validation, C.W.; Formal analysis, C.W.; Investigation, C.W. and I.L.-M.; Data curation, C.W.; Writing—original draft, C.W.; Writing—review & editing, F.F.-P., I.L.-M., F.G.-G., R.R., M.G.-P., R.F.-V. and J.J.I.-L.; Supervision, R.R. and M.G.-P.; Project administration, M.G.-P.; Funding acquisition, F.F.-P., R.R. and M.G.-P. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 29 abr 2025