Surprise! An Albatross Chick Will Be Able To Swallow a Plastic Bottle Cap But Not Digest It

Yesterday, The Guardian ran this disturbing photo essay by Chris Jordan [1] [2] [3]. The pictures are of the decomposing remains of Albatross chicks and the (sometimes literally) mounds of plastic they have in their digestive tracks. Here is a sample:

“The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their
parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting
what looks to them like food. Every year, tens of thousands
of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity,
and choking.” He stresses that in taking these photographs,
“not a single piece of plastic was moved."
Photograph © Chris Jordan.