August 11, 2025Open Access

First Evidence of Plastic Ingestion by Red-billed Tropicbirds Phaethon aethereus from St. Eustatius, Caribbean Netherlands

HMHannah MaddenPortland State University EEEline EggermontConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

Key Points

Plastic ingestion was confirmed in Red-billed Tropicbirds, marking a significant find for conservation efforts.
All tropicbird species are now documented as ingesting marine plastic pollution, indicating a broader environmental issue.
Observational field study on St. Eustatius confirms this behavior in a previously unstudied region.
This highlights the urgent need for conservation strategies to address marine plastic pollution in nesting habitats.

Abstract

We present the first confirmed evidence of plastic ingestion by a Red-billed Tropicbird on the Caribbean Netherlands island of St. Eustatius, which supports a regionally important nesting population. With our observations, all species of tropicbird have now been documented ingesting marine plastic pollution.

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