Study shows shouting at seagulls makes them more likely to scram

By Tom Bevan

Researchers say shouting at seagulls makes them more likely to leave your food alone.

Research carried out showed physical violence was not needed to scare off gulls, but a loud ticking off could be enough to save your food from the pesky swoopers.

Researchers used male voices - as most crimes against wildlife are carried out by men - and a put a closed Tupperware box of chips on the ground to pique the herring gulls’ interest.

Once a gull approached, the team from the University of Exeter played either a recording of a male voice shouting or speaking the words, “No, stay away, that’s my food” or the ‘neutral’ birdsong of a robin.

They tested a total of 61 gulls across nine seaside towns in Cornwall and found that nearly half of those gulls exposed to the shouting voi