World Migratory Bird Day is observed on the second Saturday in October. The accumulation of plastic has become a worldwide epidemic and a primary threat to birds across the globe. With an annual production of more than 300m tons, plastic is one of the most widely used materials in the world. What often escapes one’s attention is that the plastic is used for its main purpose for only a moment compared with its lifecycle of 20 to 500 years. Lightweight and designed to last, the discarded pieces are easily transported into ecosystems through the forces of nature causing serious threats to migratory species around the world.

Every year, World Migratory Bird Day presents an annual theme aiming to raise awareness of issues affecting migratory birds and to inspire people and organizations around the world to take measures for their conservation. This year’s theme − “Protect Birds: Be the Solution to Plastic Pollution!” − will put the spotlight on the negative impact of plastic pollution on migratory birds and their habitats.

Unfortunately, having wings does not help birds escape the threat of plastic. Birds with stomachs full of plastic entangled and smothered by plastic rings and nets are all too real consequences of the toll that plastic takes on wildlife. 

Plastic pollution

As we mentioned, plastic pollution is a serious threat for migratory birds. Birds are mistaking plastic pellets for fish eggs, small crabs and other prey, sometimes even feeding the deadly pellets to their young. Despite the fact that only 0.05 percent of plastic pieces from surface waters are pellets, they comprise about 70 percent of the plastic eaten by birds. These small plastic particles have been found in the stomachs of 63 of the world’s 250 species of birds.

Other major threats to birds

Birds face many threats to their survival in the wild. Like all animals, they are totally dependent on their environment for existence and are very sensitive to changes in the ecosystems. Below is a summary of a number of these threats.

Disease

Disease outbreak could be very devastating when migrating birds gather together. This can be even more detrimental when surviving birds carry the illness to either breeding grounds or densely populated winter ranges. In those large flocks, more birds may become infected and the overall population can be decimated.

Climate change

Climate change is one of the most important reasons of declining in populations of migratory birds. As temperatures rise, birds are thrown from their migration cycle; when birds reach their destinations they rely on certain foods to live through the season. Breeding success in some species, such as insect-eating songbirds, could be jeopardized due to mismatch between the peak of availability of food and hatching of chicks. Climate change leads to changes and shifts in habitats, which causes re-distribution of birds, too. Some species are threatened by nearly complete loss of their habitats.