Display omitted ► Short-tailed shearwaters were analyzed for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). ► BDE209 and BDE183 were detected in abdominal adipose of 3 of 12 seabirds. ► Plastics in the stomachs of the 3 seabirds contained BDE209 and BDE183. ► BDE209 and BDE183 were not detected in natural prey of the shearwaters. ► Transfer of plastic-derived chemicals (BDE209 and BDE183) was suggested. We analyzed polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in abdominal adipose of oceanic seabirds (short-tailed shearwaters, Puffinus tenuirostris) collected in northern North Pacific Ocean. In 3 of 12 birds, we detected higher-brominated congeners (viz., BDE209 and BDE183), which are not present in the natural prey (pelagic fish) of the birds. The same compounds were present in plastic found in the stomachs of the 3 birds. These data suggested the transfer of plastic-derived chemicals from ingested plastics to the tissues of marine-based organisms.