An advertisement for the 1994 World Cup, fast food wrappers, COVID-19 masks—what birds used to build their nests reflects a ...

Each year, these birds typically build new, bowl-shaped nests using leaves, rushes and reeds. But, while nesting in cities, they often supplement these natural, biodegradable materials with man ...

Plastic waste has let common coots reuse nests year after year. Scientists have now used the trash layers to date how old nests are.

Covid-19 face masks, a chocolate wrapper from 1994 and a 30-year-old polystyrene burger box – the nests of Amsterdam’s Eurasian coots chart changes to consumer society through plastic waste.

In fact, this has already begun: Researchers revealed the history of bird nests in The Netherlands by scrutinizing plastic litter used in the nests’ construction. Many different birds ...