We are excited to share that one of our local collaborators, Victoria Moreira, just earned her master’s degree in biology at West Chester University and published a research paper on some field work she conducted at Rushton Woods Preserve.
The goal of the study was to quantify and compare the microplastics that wild birds encounter. Samples were collected by placing banded birds in a brown paper bag during our regular bird banding processes. Most of the time birds would leave behind a fecal sample in the bag. This is a non-invasive method for collecting microplastics. Victoria then extracted the microplastics from these samples and counted them under a microscope. The study found more microplastics in the feces of ground-foraging birds, like White-throated sparrows compared to species that also forage in trees, like Gray Catbirds.
Microplastics are a form of pollution that has been found in every environment and even in our bodies. Although awareness is increasing, microplastic pollution is still poorly regulated, and the effects that they have on wildlife are still not fully understood. Studies like this one show that even our backyard birds are directly encountering and may be impacted by microplastics.
