University of Auckland Study Reveals Penguins' Dangerous Preference for White and Clear Plastics

A groundbreaking study from the University of Auckland has uncovered a startling behavioral preference among penguins for white and clear plastics, shedding new light on the mechanisms driving plastic ingestion in seabirds. Conducted by Dr. Ariel-Micaiah Heswall and colleagues at the Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Society, the research demonstrates that king and gentoo penguins actively choose white plastic bottlecaps over other colors, even when all options are equally available. This finding challenges the assumption that plastic consumption is solely due to abundance in the ocean and points to a 'sensory trap' where plastics mimic natural cues like eggs, prey, or snow and ice.

The study, published in February 2026 in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, involved behavioral assays with 69 captive penguins—23 king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) and 46 gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua)—at Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium in Auckland. Researchers presented the birds with identical bottlecaps in white, black, red, and blue, recording interactions such as looking, pecking, and manipulation. The results were unequivocal: penguins interacted with white caps nearly twice as often as black and 45% more than red or blue.

This preference has profound implications for New Zealand's subantarctic ecosystems, home to several penguin species including the endangered yellow-eyed penguin (hoiho). As a nation with vast marine territories and a commitment to biodiversity conservation, these insights from UOA underscore the urgency of targeted plastic reduction strategies.

The Global Plastic Crisis and Seabirds: A Mounting Threat

Plastic pollution has infiltrated every ocean, with an estimated 4.8 to 12.7 million metric tons entering annually, projected to triple by 2040. Seabirds, including penguins, are particularly vulnerable, with over 90% of species affected by ingestion. Globally, clear-white plastics dominate both ocean debris and seabird stomachs, comprising up to 47% of items found in necropsies.

In New Zealand, plastic debris washes ashore on beaches and remote subantarctic islands like the Auckland Islands, where penguins nest. A previous UOA study by Heswall examined 13 North Island seabird species, finding white and clear plastics most prevalent in their guts, present in 100% of 19 Buller's shearwaters dissected. Yellow and gold followed, despite red and green plastics being common on Auckland beaches. This pattern suggests behavioral selection rather than random exposure.

Penguins' surface foraging makes them prime targets. Ingestion leads to blockages, starvation, internal injuries, and toxin leaching, exacerbating population declines amid climate change and overfishing. NZ's Department of Conservation monitors hoiho populations, already reduced by 50% in some areas, highlighting the need for local research like UOA's to inform policy.

Inside the UOA Experiment: Methods and Penguin Behavior

Dr. Heswall's team designed controlled assays to isolate color preference. At Kelly Tarlton's, captive penguins—familiar with bottlecaps as common debris—were offered one of each color simultaneously. Behaviors tracked included gaze direction, approaches, pecks, and manipulations over multiple trials.

• White caps elicited the strongest responses, with penguins pecking and manipulating them most frequently.
• Black caps received the least interest; blue were seldom pecked.
• All colors drew some attention, confirming plastics' broad appeal but white's dominance.

The raw data, deposited at the University of Auckland's repository (DOI: 10.17608/k6.auckland.30154468.v1), supports statistical significance in preference. This open-access approach exemplifies UOA's commitment to transparent science.

King penguins, larger and deep-diving, and gentoo penguins, agile surface feeders, both showed the bias, suggesting it's species-transcendent among penguins.

Why White? Unpacking the Sensory Trap Hypothesis

The 'sensory trap' theory posits plastics hijack evolved sensory biases. For penguins, white may mimic snow-covered ice floes for camouflage/nesting, fish bellies/silver scales for prey, or eggshells for parental care. Heswall notes: "White plastic could be strongly associated with cues from eggs and prey associated with a potential foraging or reproductive benefit."

Penguins' visual systems are tuned for underwater contrast detection, where white stands out against blue ocean. Clear plastics may resemble jellyfish or squid. This super-normal stimulus overrides caution, leading to ingestion.

In NZ's subantarctic, where Adélie and emperor penguins reside, white plastics could exacerbate risks. Understanding these biases allows targeted interventions, like dyeing plastics black—least preferred and less common in seabird guts globally.

Photo by Nik Schmidt on Unsplash

Health Impacts: From Starvation to Plasticosis

Ingestion fills stomachs without nutrition, causing starvation. Sharp edges puncture guts; soft items like balloons suffocate. Microplastics leach endocrine disruptors, altering hormones and reproduction.

'Plasticosis'—scarring from chronic inflammation—is documented in seabirds. Even one piece harms chicks, altering proteomics and neurodegeneration in <90-day-olds. NZ hoiho chicks already face low fledging weights from pollution; plastics compound this.

Heswall warns: "Eating plastic posed risks of starvation... Sharp plastics could puncture the gut, but soft plastics such as balloons were more likely to result in immediate death."

New Zealand's Seabird Hotspots and Plastic Hotspots

NZ hosts 12 seabird species, including endemic hoiho (nationally critical) on Otago and subantarctics. Plastic reaches remote Auckland Islands via currents.

Studies show 89 plastic fragments in northern NZ colonies; microplastics in 75% of fish. Buller's shearwaters migrate 50,000km annually, accumulating debris.

UOA's North Island necropsies confirm plastics in all shearwaters. Subantarctics like Campbell Island see entanglement risks.

University of Auckland: Leading NZ Marine Research

UOA's School of Biological Sciences and Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Society drive penguin research. Heswall, a research fellow, builds on her 2025 study of local seabirds.

Collaborators like Prof. Anne Gaskett specialize in sensory ecology. UOA's marine labs and aquarium partnerships enable captive studies, complementing field work on subantarctics.

This positions UOA as NZ's hub for plastic pollution research, training students in ethology and conservation biology. For aspiring researchers, explore research jobs at NZ universities tackling ocean threats.

Conservation Solutions: From Industry to Policy

Heswall urges: "Putting a lid on white and clear plastics could reduce the threat... Manufacturers replaced white plastics with black."

• Industry: Shift to non-preferred colors like black.
• Policy: NZ Plastic Waste Reduction Programme targets single-use; extend to color bans.
• Public: Proper disposal; beach cleanups via Auckland initiatives.
• Research: Sensory ecology for traps; global monitoring.

International collaboration, like UOA's data sharing, amplifies impact.

Photo by Emma Li on Unsplash

Future Outlook: Next Steps in Penguin Protection

Upcoming UOA work: field tests on wild NZ penguins, multi-species assays, chemical attractants in plastics. Integrate with climate models for subantarctics.

NZ's 2026 Marine Protected Areas review could prioritize plastic-free zones. Global treaties like UN Plastic Pollution aim for 2040 reduction; NZ leads with research.

Careers in Marine Conservation: Opportunities in New Zealand

This study highlights demand for experts in sensory ecology, marine biology, and pollution science at NZ unis like UOA, Otago, Victoria.

Roles: Research assistants, PhD studentships, lecturers. Skills: ethology, stats, fieldwork. Check research assistant jobs, faculty positions.

For career advice, visit higher ed career advice. Rate professors at Rate My Professor. Explore higher ed jobs and university jobs in NZ.