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I couldn’t help but notice that there were a lot of seagull-related follow-up questions in response to this story: staring down seagulls can stop them stealing your chips. For those of you who haven’t seen it yet - here’s a video of the technique
So @samwong1, who wrote the story for @newscientist, put your questions to @Gull_Mad, who ran the experiment with her colleagues @UniofExeter. (That’s her staring down a seagull in the video)
newscientist.com/article/221259…
newscientist.com/article/221259…
@SamWong1 @Gull_Mad @UniofExeter Why did you choose to study this?
“I’ve been living in an area with a lot of herring gulls. There is a lot of conflict between people and gulls in coastal areas. I thought it would be a great study species because you can rarely study wild animals that get close to you.”
“I’ve been living in an area with a lot of herring gulls. There is a lot of conflict between people and gulls in coastal areas. I thought it would be a great study species because you can rarely study wild animals that get close to you.”
@SamWong1 @Gull_Mad @UniofExeter Are young gulls more easily intimidated?
“The gull in the video is a juvenile, but several adults didn't touch the food [when we stared at them]. We didn't notice any age effects but with the small number of gulls we couldn't test this and are currently doing research on it.”
“The gull in the video is a juvenile, but several adults didn't touch the food [when we stared at them]. We didn't notice any age effects but with the small number of gulls we couldn't test this and are currently doing research on it.”
@SamWong1 @Gull_Mad @UniofExeter Do urban seagulls behave differently?
“Gulls in urban areas are more habituated to people. We studied around west Cornwall. I suspect if I tried to do the study in rural areas, I wouldn’t get anywhere near them. They are very nervous. They spot you a mile off and fly away.”
“Gulls in urban areas are more habituated to people. We studied around west Cornwall. I suspect if I tried to do the study in rural areas, I wouldn’t get anywhere near them. They are very nervous. They spot you a mile off and fly away.”
@SamWong1 @Gull_Mad @UniofExeter Do you think seagulls learn to fear the human gaze or is it innate?
“We’re not sure, we’re doing follow-up studies on that. The literature shows that gaze aversion is probably innate but there is an interaction with the environment. It’s possible that gulls make an association.”
“We’re not sure, we’re doing follow-up studies on that. The literature shows that gaze aversion is probably innate but there is an interaction with the environment. It’s possible that gulls make an association.”
@SamWong1 @Gull_Mad @UniofExeter Does it suggest seagulls have theory of mind?
“It’s possible. These things are quite difficult to test. There are simpler explanations, like that gulls understand they're being watched, or associative learning – they make the link between being looked at and being chased off.”
“It’s possible. These things are quite difficult to test. There are simpler explanations, like that gulls understand they're being watched, or associative learning – they make the link between being looked at and being chased off.”
@SamWong1 @Gull_Mad @UniofExeter Is natural selection causing bolder gulls?
“We are going to continue studying to find out how boldness might be advantageous or disadvantageous. There are stories about gulls being attacked by people. Snatching food is a risky behaviour. Being cautious might pay off for gulls.”
“We are going to continue studying to find out how boldness might be advantageous or disadvantageous. There are stories about gulls being attacked by people. Snatching food is a risky behaviour. Being cautious might pay off for gulls.”
Thanks to @Gull_Mad for the Q&A - if you want to know more about birds, there’s always @newscientist… newscientist.com/article-topic/…
