An albatross chick has died in Dunedin after swallowing plastic fed to it by its parent.
The Department of Conservation (DoC) said the death of the 10-day-old chick highlighted the issue of plastic pollution for seabirds.
DoC Coastal Otago biodiversity ranger Sharyn Broni said the death was the first of its kind at the Pukekura/Taiaroa Head colony on Otago Peninsula.
However, Broni said rangers feared such a death could happen due to evidence of plastic pollution over recent years.
"The parent will have picked up the plastic while foraging at sea and then regurgitated it for the chick, which unfortunately has blocked the digestive system."
"This heartbreaking incident is a reminder it's vital to dispose of plastic rubbish carefully.
She urged people who see litter on beaches, near waterways or on the ocean to pick it up.
''Every piece you pick up could save a seabird's life."
Broni said DoC staff found plastic in almost all the toroa chick regurgitations checked last season.
Bottlecaps were most common, but a plastic syringe was also discovered.
It comes after DoC discovered a 9cm plastic pony toy regurgitated inside a chick's nest in May 2021.
Broni said algae can grow on plastic, causing it to smell like food which could encourage birds to eat it.
''As well as being a risk for chicks, it can also kill adult birds because it sits in the stomach and they can't digest it, causing dehydration or starvation," she said.
Dunedin Wildlife Hospital director Lisa Argilla said vets were distressed plastic had caused the death of the chick.
Soft ''but very tough'' plastic was discovered during a necropsy of the young bird.
The plastic had caused an obstruction in the gastrointestinal tract ''which ultimately led to starvation and organ failure''.
''We echo the call from DoC to please dispose of plastic carefully, even better would be to try to limit how much plastic you use and therefore reduce waste,'' Argilla said.
