title: Plastic and metal ingestion in three species of coastal waterfowl wintering in Atlantic Canada.
abstract: Relatively little attention has been paid to the occurrence of anthropogenic debris found in coastal species, especially waterfowl. We examined the incidence of ingested plastic and metal in three waterfowl species wintering in Atlantic Canada: American black ducks (Anas rubripes) and mallards (A. platyrhynchos), two species that use marine and freshwater coastal habitats for foraging in the winter, and common eider (Somateria mollissima), a coastal marine species that feeds on intertidal and subtidal benthic organisms. Plastic was found in the stomachs of 46.1% (6/13) of mallards and 6.9% (6/87) of black ducks, the first report of ingested anthropogenic debris in these species, while 2.1% (1/48) of eider stomachs contained plastic. Metal was found in the stomachs of 30.8% (4/13) of mallards, 2.3% (2/87) of black ducks, and in 2.1% (1/48) of eiders. Our results indicate that species using coastal marine and freshwater environments are exposed to and ingest anthropogenic debris.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada. Electronic address: matthew.english@acadiau.ca.
authors.forename: Matthew D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: English
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Research Division, Environment Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, NL A1N 4T3, Canada.
authors.forename: Gregory J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Research Division, Environment Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, NL A1N 4T3, Canada.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Avery-Gomm
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Research Division, Environment Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, NL A1N 4T3, Canada.
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pirie-Hay
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Research Division, Environment Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, NL A1N 4T3, Canada.
authors.forename: Sheena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roul
authors.affiliation: Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, NL A1N 4T3, Canada.
authors.forename: Pierre C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.affiliation: Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, NL A1N 4T3, Canada.
authors.forename: Sabina I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada.
authors.forename: Mark L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Mallory
mesh_terms: D025041:Animal Migration; D000818:Animals; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002170:Canada; D004372:Ducks; D017753:Ecosystem; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005618:Fresh Water; D008297:Male; D008670:Metals; D010969:Plastics; D012621:Seasons; D013270:Stomach / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D008670:Metals; D010969:Plastics
keywords: American black duck; Common eider; Mallard; Metal ingestion; Plastic ingestion; Waterfowl