ABSTRACT
Accumulation of human-made debris in seemingly pristine habitats is a problem occurring across a broad range of ecosystems. Such debris can be detrimental for wildlife, leading to choking, ingestion of toxic materials, entanglement, and obstruction from important feeding and breeding sites. On the Galapagos Islands, an increasing amount of human-made debris is correlated with the growing population size of permanent towns, especially the largest town of Puerto Ayora, located on the island of Santa Cruz. While previous research on the Galapagos Islands has examined the effects of human-made debris on marine animals, less is known about the implications these materials have on native terrestrial species. Here we report on the fatality of a Darwin's finch nestling we believe occurred by entanglement with a human-made string. The string was among other debris dissected from the nest, which had incorporated >7 different types of human-made debris. We discuss how Darwin's finches are responding to their human-altered habitat and the potential consequences.