US EditionFood-snatching seagulls are more likely to leave you alone if you shout at them, researchers say
University of Exeter researchers found shouting a male voice phrase caused nearly 50% of herring gulls to fly away from food within one minute during tests.
- On November 12, University of Exeter researchers published in Biology Letters that shouting a male voice made nearly half of tested herring gulls in Cornwall fly away within a minute.
- Researchers sought nonviolent deterrents and tested the acoustic effects of human voices on 61 herring gulls across nine seaside towns in Cornwall using a closed Tupperware box of chips.
- The experiment used equal-volume playback of recordings including `No, stay away, that's my food`, the same male voice spoken calmly, and robin song; researchers found only 15% of gulls flew away to the speaking voice.
- The study suggests shouting can effectively deter gulls without harm, while researchers urged beachgoers to use peaceful deterrents since gulls are a species of conservation concern.
- The work suggests gulls can discriminate human voice acoustic properties beyond loudness, unlike most wild species, with previous study on handled food showing 79% of herring gulls prefer human-handled items.
61 Articles
61 Articles
'No, away, that's my food!' With these words, at least when they are shouting, seagulls can be driven away. Less well works delicate robin singing. That was the result of a study in England.
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I know I'm known around these parts for my griping acumen, but there are a few things I truly hate as much as seagulls.Sure, that's largely because I suffer from a very real condition called ornithophobia — the fear of birds to the layperson — but also I just hate how dickish they are.There's no other bird that will just yoink a ham sandwich out of your hand right as you're about to take a bite, and that bugs me.READ: BOLD FRENCH SEAGULL STEALS …
A scientific article published by researchers at the English University of Exeter this Wednesday, November 12, reveals that these birds are sensitive to the tone used, which could be a first in a wild species.
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