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Despite the fact that humans assume an insurmountable amount of pride in being the smartest things to ever trod Earth, the fact still remains that we have to manufacture labels that advise against ingesting and choking on small pieces of plastic. And some good the stern warning did; we end up consuming one lego brick worth of plastics monthly anyway, according to a 2019 WWF International study. These are worrying statistics, sure. But it still remains that we (well, most of us) at least have the conscience to try not to ingest these plastics voluntarily. But what about birds and other animals frighteningly unaware of what "polymers" or "<keyword id="2636405" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="microplastic-pollution" source="Orion">microplastic pollution</keyword>" even mean? Not too great, it turns out. Scientists have discovered that wild birds have been consuming an inordinate amount of plastics, birthing a new disease plaguing their stomachs. Termed 'Plasticosis', the small plastic pieces end up scarring their proventriculus organ – the first part of a bird's stomach. We've known that birds and animals consume an excessive amount of plastics throughout their lifespans. A stroll through most Indian streets will almost always reveal some dog, cat or cow rummaging through garbage bags, looking for any hints of their next meal. This is the first time we've noticed the effect this can have on the birds' digestive systems, however, and was revealed when Australian and UK scientists saw widespread scarring in flesh-footed <keyword id="3098462" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shearwater" source="Orion">shearwater</keyword> birds. "While these birds can look healthy on the outside, they're not doing well on the inside," remorses Dr Alex Bond, co-author of the study. "This study is the first time that stomach tissue has been investigated in this way and shows that plastic consumption can cause serious damage to these birds' <keyword id="463206" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="digestive-system" source="Orion">digestive system</keyword>." Plasticosis breaks down the tubular glands (found in the lining of the large intestine) and leaves the birds extremely vulnerable to parasites and a compromised immune system. This scarring was observed only due to plastics, however. Inorganic items such as pumice stones, which birds are known to consume, had no such effect. While plasticosis has only been identified in the one bird species so far, the researchers expressed concern that it might be afflicting vastly more species as well due to the extensive scale of worldwide <keyword id="1820144" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="plastic-pollution" source="Orion">plastic pollution</keyword>. The world's oceans contain an estimated 30 million tonnes of plastic pollution, which filter into food systems. Recently, we've discovered microplastics floating around in human lungs, blood and other tissues, and their ramifications could be as deadly as it sounds. The need of the hour to mitigate plastic pollution is now. <h2>Recommended stories:</h2> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="98661339" title="India 8th most polluted country in the world, 39 Indian cities among 50 most polluted: 2022 World Air Quality Report" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="98544133" title="Climate change spiking ground-ozone levels, could lead to higher heart attack and stroke risk" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"><payload><![CDATA[seealso]]></payload></div>

Tiny plastic shards are tearing through the digestive tracts of wild birds and causing permanent scarring

As far as humans travel, it's nothing compared to some animals. To put just how large this distance is into perspective, we've put together an <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/bi-animation">animation</a> showing these animals and their incredible distances. The following is a transcription.No matter how much traveling you do, these creatures have you beat. These are the animals with the longest migrations.In the Yukon, Porcupine caribou travel 3,000 miles. This is the longest migration by land of any mammal on Earth.Monarch butterflies fly about 3,000 miles each year. Some will travel all the way from Canada to Mexico.Leatherback turtles will swim 10,000 miles across the Pacific between the US and Indonesia.The globe skimmer dragonfly has that name for a reason. It crosses the Indian ocean between East Africa and India. The total trip is about 10,000 miles.Humpback whales travel over 10,440 miles from Costa Rica to Antarctica and back. It is the longest mammal migration on Earth.Great white sharks migrate 12,400 miles between South Africa to Western Australia and back.But no one can cover more ground than the birds! The sooty shearwater travels 40,000 miles. It flies between New Zealand and Alaska.At the top of the list is the arctic tern. It has been recorded migrating over 44,000 miles, flying from the Arctic to Antarctica.You thought your commute was bad?

Animated map shows just how far these animals travel to migrate

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><a href="http://theroguephotographer.smugmug.com/">Tony Probst</a>Endangered bird on Atiu one of the Cook Islands.</div></div></div>Plato suggested that humans were "bipeds without feathers". People walk on two legs like most avian species. 
They are also largely diurnal and rely upon sight as their primary sense. All of this, incidentally, is unlike most mammals. 
Yet how much do humans really share with birds?
More than people admit, argues Noah Strycker, an American field biologist, in a new book. The author wants people to appreciate birds "one feather at a time". He trawls through an impressive amount of field research and introduces readers to some flabbergasting facts.
A manx shearwater, for instance, was once kidnapped from a burrow on the Welsh coast and flown 3,200 miles (5,150km) before being released in Boston harbour.
In less than 13 days it had found its way home. Mr Strycker also alights on the amazing biometrics of hummingbirds, whose pea-sized hearts are the largest of any bird when measured in proportion to the bird's body mass. These vast organs can pound away at a staggering rate of 1,200 beats a minute.
What makes Mr Strycker's hummingbird essay particularly engaging is his concern to explore how the avian facts carry implications for human beings. It turns out that humans and hummingbirds, despite differences of scale and style, enjoy a lifespan of about a billion heartbeats, a rule that holds good for many warm-blooded animals, from mice to elephants.
But hummingbirds are "trapped" in an evolutionary sense at the outer margins of warm-blooded existence, locked by their relentless quest for high-calorie foods into a cycle of aggression, isolation and the constant threat of starvation.
None of this would matter were it not for the fact that human lives are also moving this way. The pace of life is quickening in wealthier countries; one study shows that it takes people an average 10.5 seconds to cover 60 feet (18.3 metres) of pavement in Singapore, 18 seconds in Bahrain and 31 seconds in Malawi, indicating marked differences between developed and developing nations.
Overall, people walk fastest in the world's biggest cities. Mr Strycker thinks people should heed the hummingbirds--creatures that are "slaves to speed, desperately fighting for control of calories".
"The Thing with Feathers" turns a shrewd, comparative eye on a succession of bird families to explore what he calls their "human" characteristics.
Most striking are the gorgeous Australian fairy-wrens (pictured), whose intergenerational altruism looks uncannily like humans' supportive family life, and the bowerbirds of New Guinea: avian painters and decorators that construct fancy little "gardens" of shell, pebble and foliage where they lure potential partners into a mating mood.
Could these bowers emanate from an aesthetic appreciation comparable to that manifest in human art? And does the albatross, always so loyal to its single long-term partner, raise the possibility of "love" and "commitment" that matches people's own marital lives? This is an engaging work which illuminates something profound about all life, including our own.
Click <a href="https://subscriptions.economist.com/nwcd">here</a> to subscribe to The Economist

You Searched For "shearwater" and got 3 results

Tiny plastic shards are tearing through the digestive tracts of wild birds and causing permanent scarring

Ankush Banerjee

Animated map shows just how far these animals travel to migrate

Rob Ludacer,Rob Ludacer

Avian Zoology: Fairy Creatures

The Economist

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