Animal behaviourists tested 61 gulls in Cornwall to find most effective method of countering feathery threat
Some people respond to the unwanted attentions of a gull eyeing up a bag of chips or a Cornish pasty by frantically flapping their hands at the hungry bird while others beat a rapid retreat into the nearest seaside shelter. But researchers have found that a no-nonsense yell – even a relatively quiet one – may be the best way to get rid of a pesky herring gull.
Animal behaviourists from the University of Exeter tried to establish the most effective method of countering a feathery threat by placing a portion of chips in a place where gulls were bound to find them.
Once a gull approached, they played three recordings. First, a male voice shouting: “No, stay away, that’s my food, that’s my pasty!” Then, the same voice speaking the same words was played, followed by the “neutral” birdsong of a robin.
They tested 61 gulls across nine seaside towns in Cornwall and found nearly half of the birds exposed to the shouting voice flapped away within a minute.
