Plastic nests or blue nests? The need for taxonomic rigor in studies on interactions between birds and plastics

Abstract

Interactions between birds and plastics cause several damages like death due to entanglement and blockage of the digestive tract. However, the impacts of plastics on both marine and terrestrial bird nests require further investigation. Recently, Lopes et al. (2024) published the first report on the presence of plastic debris in bird nests (Psarocolius decumanus) for the Amazon. The polymeric composition of fibers was determined, as well as the presence of six dyes in abandoned, fallen nests, of which five are potentially toxic. A month later, Monteiro et al. (2024) published a short communication, describing “plastic nests” of Cacicus cela and Pitangus sulphuratus for the Amazon. Here, we demonstrate that most of the nests presented in the study are in fact from P. decumanus and were wrongly identified as nests of C. cela, as well as inconsistencies regarding the identification of the birds. Finally, we provide recommendations for future studies.