Staring at seagulls could save your chips, according to Cornwall researchers

Staring at seagulls makes them less likely to steal your food, according to new research.

University of Exeter scientists put a bag of chips on the ground and tested how long it took herring gulls to approach when a human was watching them, compared to when the human looked away.

On average, gulls took 21 seconds longer to approach the food with a human staring at them.

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Madeleine Goumas from University of Exeter led the project. Credit: University of Exeter

The UK’s herring gulls are in decline, though numbers in urban areas are rising.

Gulls in these areas are often considered a nuisance because of food-snatching.

Gulls are more likely to steal food if people are looking away, researchers found. Credit: University of Exeter

The researchers say their study shows that any attempt to manage this issue by treating all gulls as being alike could be futile, as most gulls are wary of approaching people.

Instead, people might be able to reduce food-snatching by the few bold individuals by modifying their own behaviour.

Scientists say they advise people to look around themselves and watch out for gulls approaching, as they often take food from behind, catching people by surprise.

Watch the report here.