India, Sept. 21 -- A 16-year study from Lord Howe Island found record levels of plastic ingestion in fledgling sable shearwaters.

In 2025, one bird was found with 894 pieces of plastic weighing 64.21g, while another in 2026 contained 644 pieces weighing 67.4g.

Researchers said plastic ingestion remained common across the population, but the number and mass of plastic pieces found in individual birds have risen sharply in recent years.

The study says adult birds struggling to find enough prey may be mistaking floating plastic debris for food and feeding it to their chicks.

Australian seabirds are being found with record amounts of plastic in their stomachs, with plastic ingestion rising sharply in recent years, a 16-year study has foun...