Plastic Ingestion in an Emaciated Red Kite (milvus Milvus) in England

The red kite (Milvus milvus) was successfully re-introduced into England in 1989, although the population continues to face anthropogenic threats. In this report, we describe evidence of plastic ingested in the ventriculus of an adult male red kite that was emaciated. In addition, dried blood was found on the feathers overlying both wings, and subcutaneous haemorrhage was identified. Toxicology tests revealed toxic levels (>100 ng/g) of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (difenacoum 3.0 ng/g, brodifacoum 734.9 ng/g) in the liver of this red kite. Three possible contributors to mortality were considered: starvation from the ingestion of plastic preventing normal digestion, collision-related trauma and second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning. This is the first report of plastic ingestion in a red kite. The case highlights the importance of carrying out postmortem examinations as part of post-release health surveillance and identifies plastic ingestion as a potential anthropogenic threat facing the red kite population in England.