New Research Reveals How Gulls Developed a Taste for Human-Touched Food

Seagulls, specifically the herring gulls, have long been considered a coastal nuisance in the UK, notorious for their relentless food snatching.

For instance, several news agencies reported that the birds began scooping up drugs and eating them before going on a drug-fueled rampage to terrorize pedestrians.

However, new research shared by The Conversation challenges the prevailing notion of these birds as mere aggressors, revealing a surprising depth of intelligence and social prowess.

A Taste for Human Food

University of Sussex animal researchers led by Franziska Feist set out to discover the cognitive abilities of urban herring gulls after being intrigued by the gulls' capacity to scavenge human food.

Previous studies hinted at their ability to adjust foraging behaviors in response to human activity, show heightened interest in people with food, and display a preference for human-touched food.

The team aimed to investigate whether the gulls could track objects handled by humans and compare them to other things within their environment. Such cognitive abilities would indicate a level of intelligence beyond basic object recognition.

How the Researchers Conducted the Study

Their study, recently published in Biology Letters, employed a clever experiment on Brighton Beach. Individual herring gulls or small groups were presented with two crisp packets of different colors, while the researchers held a third packet matching one of the colors.

The researchers meticulously observed the gulls' responses, testing the hypothesis that the birds would choose the color-matched packet held by the researchers.

Astoundingly, almost all of the gulls that interacted with the crisp packets (95%) selected the color-matched one held by the researchers.

Interesting Findings

This remarkable finding suggests that herring gulls can identify and compare objects in their surroundings. Furthermore, the gulls appeared to closely observe human foraging choices, using that information to inform their food selection.

Surprisingly, there was no significant difference in the approach rates between adult gulls and young birds with brown plumage. However, most attempted thefts (86%) were executed by adults, despite constituting only 46% of the overall sample.

This implies that pilfering food demands a certain audacity and skill, traits that most young birds have yet to develop. Alternatively, competitive adult birds might discourage the younger ones from attempting food theft.

What makes these findings even more captivating is the fact that herring gulls have not co-evolved with humans. The researchers note that their urbanization began merely 80 years ago, making it unlikely that their behavior stems from innate abilities acquired through a long-term association with humans.

Instead, their triumph in adapting to urban environments appears to emanate from a broader and more versatile behavioral repertoire.

Observant Birds

While this research unveils the astonishing cognitive prowess of herring gulls, it also carries implications for coastal residents and visitors who frequently endure the birds' uncanny ability to target and snatch food.

The researchers propose that the challenges posed by gulls' food theft are not solely attributable to humans feeding the urban gulls.

It seems that the act of observing humans consume a particular food item renders it and any identical items nearby more enticing to the gulls.

This cognitive toolkit possessed by herring gulls adds complexity to managing the delicate relationship between humans and these urban avian dwellers.

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