Seagulls: Smart Thieves of the Skies
Wednesday, 2026/08/19143 words2 minutes2073 reads
Herring gulls are becoming a common problem at seaside towns. These large birds, with wingspans up to 4.9 feet, have learned to steal food directly from people's hands.
Laura Kelley, a researcher at the University of Exeter, discovered an interesting solution. Her experiments showed that seagulls are cautious around food when they feel they're being watched. She tested placing googly eyes on food packaging and found it was effective at deterring many gulls from approaching.
The research revealed that seagulls have different personalities. Some bold "problem gulls" learned quickly that the eyes weren't dangerous. However, another group never approached the boxes with eyes at all.
Seagulls are highly intelligent birds that observe and learn from humans. Another researcher, Franziska Hacker, found that gulls even copy human food choices, selecting the same colored crisp packets that people were eating from 95% of the time.
