Plastic nests: The first record of the Yellow-rumped Cacique (Cacicus cela) and the Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) building nests with discarded fishing material on the Amazon Coast

Raqueline Monteiro; Emarielle Coelho Pardal; Marcelo Ândrade; Dayene Santiago Mendes; Carine Gomes Moraes; José Raimundo Salustiano Da Silva; Marcus Emanuel Barroncas Fernandes

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116805

Plastic nests: The first record of the Yellow-rumped Cacique (Cacicus cela) and the Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) building nests with discarded fishing material on the Amazon Coast

Mar Pollut Bull. 2024 Oct:207:116805. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116805. Epub 2024 Aug 10.

Authors

Raqueline Monteiro¹, Emarielle Coelho Pardal², Marcelo Ândrade³, Dayene Santiago Mendes⁴, Carine Gomes Moraes³, José Raimundo Salustiano Da Silva⁴, Marcus Emanuel Barroncas Fernandes⁴

Affiliations

¹ Observatório do Lixo Antropogênico Marinho (OLAMAR), AP, PA, MA, Brazil; Laboratório de Sensoriamento Remoto e Análises Espaciais Aplicado a Ecossistemas Aquáticos (LASA), Instituto de Pesquisas Científicas e Tecnológicas do Estado do Amapá (IEPA), Macapá, AP, Brazil. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Observatório do Lixo Antropogênico Marinho (OLAMAR), AP, PA, MA, Brazil; Laboratório de Sensoriamento Remoto e Análises Espaciais Aplicado a Ecossistemas Aquáticos (LASA), Instituto de Pesquisas Científicas e Tecnológicas do Estado do Amapá (IEPA), Macapá, AP, Brazil.
³ Observatório do Lixo Antropogênico Marinho (OLAMAR), AP, PA, MA, Brazil; Grupo de Biodiversidade e Bioprodutos da Amazônia Maranhense, Universidade Federal do Maranhão (UFMA), Pinheiro, MA, Brazil.
⁴ Observatório do Lixo Antropogênico Marinho (OLAMAR), AP, PA, MA, Brazil; Laboratório de Ecologia de Manguezal (LAMA), Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), Câmpus de Bragança, PA, Brazil.

PMID: 39128230
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116805

Abstract

The Amazonian coastal ecosystems face a significant threat from plastic contamination, posing a major risk to their biodiversity. Here, we provide the first evidence of using plastics in nest building by Yellow-cacique Cacique (Cacicus cela) and Greater Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus). During 2023 and 2024, 15 nests built with ropes and fishing lines were recorded in the Brazilian Amazon Coast, a colony of 12 nests in the State of Amapá and one nest in Pará for C. cela, and one nest for P. sulphuratus was observed in Maranhão during the fieldwork, covering all Brazilian Amazon Coast. These nests were observed on the edge of mangroves, built with solid waste from fishing activities, pointing out how environmental pollution can be incorporated into wildlife this issue. Our records emphasize the effect of plastic pollution on two passerine species associated with mangrove forests and the need for conservation measures and further research.

Keywords: Bird; Estuary; Fishing line; Nesting; Passeriformes; Plastic pollution.

MeSH terms

Animals
Brazil
Environmental Monitoring*
Fisheries
Nesting Behavior
Plastics* / analysis

Substances

Plastics