Explainer: Here's how pollution from micro-plastics is silencing India’s birds

Across India’s wetlands, coastlines and cities, the once-familiar chorus of birdsong is fading. Plastic pollution — often seen as a marine or urban issue — is now threatening bird populations in ways that are both visible and insidious.

Punjab, like other parts of the country, is affected and the presence of micro-plastic pollution in water sources like rivers, canals, ponds, lakes and even in sediments, is becoming a growing concern. The Agrarian state has a rich biodiversity and is home to numerous bird species.

Micro-plastics: The invisible killer

Micro-plastics — tiny fragments that are under 5 mm in size — are more dangerous than visible plastic. Found in water bodies, they enter the food chain through fish and insects, eventually reaching birds and humans. These particles carry toxic chemicals like PCBs and DDT, which disrupt hormones and harm immunity, growth and reproduction.

Birds face four major threats from plastic. These are:

Ingestion: Mistaking plastic for food, birds consume bottle caps, wrappers and micro-plastics. These block digestion, puncture organs and reduce hunger signals. Bird parents even feed plastic to chicks, mistaking it for prey.

Entanglement: Discarded fishing lines, kite strings and packaging straps trap birds, causing deformities, starvation or death.

Nesting hazards: Urban birds use plastic fibers in nests, exposing chicks to heat stress and toxins.

Food chain disruption: “Plastic pollution is now a leading factor contributing to bird population decline across India,” said Dr Tejdeep Kaur Kler, Principal Ornithologist at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. “Carnivorous and insectivorous birds that depend on clean water bodies and wetlands are especially at risk. If plastic continues to poison our rivers, ponds and skies, the silence of the birds will soon echo our own ecological failure,” she added.

A 2022 Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru study found micro-plastics in urban crow feces, revealing widespread contamination through food waste and water.

Why it matters?

Field reports from Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Assam reveal deaths of kingfishers, herons and egrets with plastic in their stomachs. In Delhi and Mumbai, landfill waste is harming scavenger birds like black kites. Even Chilika Lake and East Kolkata Wetlands show declining bird counts linked to plastic-choked waters.

Village ponds, once biodiversity hubs, have now become dumping grounds. Rainwater washes plastic waste into low-lying wetlands, suffocating the aquatic ecosystems where birds feed and nest.

Birds are vital to ecosystems — they pollinate plants, disperse seeds, regulate pests and clean up waste. They play a great role in the food chain and biodiversity. Their decline disrupts food webs and signals broader environmental collapse.

“Plastic pollution is not just an aesthetic issue — it is a biological threat,” warns Dr Sandeep Jain from the People for Animals organisation. “Birds are among the first to suffer, but the ripple effects touch every species, including humans. When birds vanish, ecosystems unravel,” he said.

India’s policy landscape: Progress with gaps

India has made notable strides in addressing plastic pollution, such as:

• The Plastic Waste Management Rules (2016) laid the foundation for plastic collection, segregation and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
• In 2022, India banned certain single-use plastics, including drinking straws, cutlery and polystyrene containers.
• Several states like Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Maharashtra and Kerala have implemented local bans on plastic carry bags.

 What is Punjab doing?

Punjab, which is home to a vast network of rivers, canals, lakes village ponds and wetlands, has implemented a state-wide ban on single-use plastic, including carry bags. As of April 1, 2016, the state prohibited the production, distribution, sale, stocking and use of plastic carry bags regardless of the material’s thickness.

This was further expanded on July 1, 2022, with a ban on a wide range of single-use plastic items, including straws, cutlery, trays, wrappers and bottles.

However, implementation remains inconsistent. Informal waste collection workers, crucial to India’s recycling economy, often lack training and support. Illegal dumping continues near many wetlands and riverbanks.

What is the way forward?

Despite the scale of the crisis, solutions exist — and many are already underway. Biodegradable innovations are one such arena where scientists are developing avian-safe packaging alternatives.

Clean-Up Drives by NSS students at PAU and NGOs have cleared wetlands like Sultanpur and Bhitarkanika. Plastic-free zones and buffer areas can be created around lakes and nesting sites to help reduce exposure to micro-plastics and harmful waste.

Education and public awareness is also important. School programmes and campaigns like UNEP’s #BeatPlasticPollution foster long-term change. Apps like eBird and BirdCount India empower people to monitor bird health and report hazards.

Plastic pollution is a human-made crisis — but it’s also one we can solve, experts say. Birds have long connected us to nature’s rhythms. If their songs are lost beneath layers of plastic, the silence will be ours to bear. Their silence is not just a loss of beauty — it’s a warning to act now.