Starving shearwaters, mistaking plastics and rocks for food during migration, are washing up dead on Australian shores.

Short-tailed shearwaters, migrating from the North Pacific to Australia's East Coast over 15,000 kilometers, are washing up dead on Australian beaches due to starvation. A study by CSIRO scientist Lauren Roman revealed the birds ate pumice rocks and plastics when they could not find food. Despite the high mortality rate, the shearwater population has not declined, as the migration is part of their natural life cycle.

November 10, 2024
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