For anyone who has ever enjoyed fish and chips by the seaside, the looming shadow and piercing cry of a seagull is a familiar threat. But now, scientists believe they have cracked this age-old problem, and the solution is simpler than you might think: just shout.
According to experts from the University of Exeter, the key isn’t volume alone, but the tone of your voice. Researchers reached this conclusion after a unique experiment conducted across nine seaside towns in Cornwall.
The team tested 61 herring gulls by placing a tempting box of chips on the ground and playing different sounds. These included a recording of a man shouting, “No, stay away, that’s my food,” the same phrase spoken calmly by the same person, and, for comparison, the neutral birdsong of a robin. Crucially, all three noises were played at the same volume.
The results were striking. Half of the gulls exposed to the shouting immediately flew away within a minute. In contrast, only 15% of those hearing the calmly spoken voice took flight, with the majority choosing to walk away instead. This demonstrates that while a calm voice might make them hesitate, shouting is far more effective at making them clear off completely.
Dr Neeltje Boogert, from Exeter’s Centre for Ecology and Conservation, explained the finding: “The difference was that the gulls were more likely to fly away at the shouting and more likely to walk away at the speaking. So when trying to scare off a gull that’s trying to steal your food, talking might stop them in their tracks, but shouting is more effective at making them fly away.”
Perhaps the most fascinating part of the study is what it reveals about the gulls’ intelligence. Since all the sounds were adjusted to the same volume, the gulls weren’t just reacting to a loud noise. They were detecting subtle differences in the acoustic properties of human speech.
“Normally, when someone is shouting, it’s scary because it’s a loud noise,” Dr Boogert added. “But in this case, it seems that gulls pay attention to the way we say things, which we don’t think has been seen before in any wild species.”
This ability to discern tone and intent in human voices has previously only been observed in domesticated animals like dogs and horses. The study shows that far from being mere pests, seagulls are perceptive creatures that have learned to read human cues.
Ultimately, the experiment provides a clear, and thankfully non-violent, strategy for protecting your pasty. So next time a bold gull eyes up your lunch, remember the scientific advice: don’t just speak up, shout out.
