This plastic toy building brick was found in the stomach of a Sable Shearwater chick on Lord Howe, a remote island located off the east coast of Australia. It was discovered by scientists at @AdriftLab, a research group focused on seabirds and marine plastics. The brick isn’t Lego – in fact we’re not sure what brand it is – but it was among 246 pieces of plastic the ~90-day-old chick had consumed. “The chick had failed to fledge (i.e., was not able to depart the island) and was very emaciated,” said Dr Jennifer Lavers, who has been studying shearwaters on Lord Howe Island with her colleague Dr Alex Bond, Principal Curator in Charge of Birds at Britain’s Natural History Museum, for the last two decades. “The plastics in its stomach accounted for 5% of the chick's overall body mass.” Research by scientists at @AdriftLab has revealed that Sable Shearwaters are among the most plastic-contaminated species in the world. Having so much plastic in their stomachs can be a death sentence for the shearwaters, as it leaves no room for food. “The adult shearwaters fish plastic out of the ocean and unknowingly feed it to their chicks,” explained Dr Lavers. For those not familiar with Lord Howe Island, it’s a small island in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. The island is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is home to about 44,000 Sable Shearwaters, which nest in burrows. The third picture here shows a healthy Sable Shearwater chick, not the one that had consumed 246 pieces of plastic. Picture copyright: Dr Jennifer Lavers at @AdriftLab