Puffins endangered due to plastic pollution

They are known as the "clowns of the ocean" for their bright orange bills, waddling gaits and awkward touchdowns.

Puffins have captured the hearts of bird lovers around the world for their humorous antics.

But these seabirds are classified as vulnerable internationally which means their numbers are declining quite significantly across the world.

Gwen Potter , countryside manager for Northumberland Coast and Farne Islands for national trust said;
"They are one step away from being classified as endangered and in the UK they are also classed as red list so in the UK. They are also declining at a really fast rate."

The most likely contributors to the decline in puffin numbers includes climate change, which contributes to food shortages, extreme weather, and invasive predators.

"We see a lot of plastic sort of washing up on the islands and we also see some nests such as the shag nests, you see bits of plastic in it which kind of breaks your heart a little bit because you think they shouldn't be using that for their nesting material. "

Rangers for the national trust, who are conducting a five-yearly census on the islands, estimate that puffin numbers are due to decrease by 12 percent since the last count in 2013.