Ellen Phiddian
Cosmos science journalist
Offer a seagull fresh fish ‘n chips, and they’ll take the fish every time. But not just any fish, and certainly not battered or fried fillets.
UK researchers have discovered that, given a choice, seagulls prefer seafood to human-made options.
In fact, finds the study, even seagulls raised on bread and cat food will opt for fish.
The study is published in PeerJ.
“Our results suggest that, even when reared on an ‘urban’ diet of foods found only around people, these chicks might be unlikely to seek out urban foods as adults,” says lead author Emma Inzani, a PhD researcher at the Centre for Ecology and Conservation in the University of Exeter, UK.
“Human-associated foods are often both reliably present and easy to obtain – but when fish is available they clearly prefer it.”
The team of seagull researchers has previously found that seagulls are more likely to want food that has been handled by people rather than left alone, but they’re less likely to steal from people who stare them down.
In this latest study, 27 herring gulls (Larus argentatus) were raised in captivity. The birds had all been rescued after falling off roofs in Cornwall, and were later freed.
Half of the chicks had access to food that was 80% bread and cat food, and 20% fish and mussels. The other half of the chicks got the opposite spread.
At regular intervals every few days, the researchers presented the baby gulls with bowls of all four foods, and tracked what they chose.
All of the birds consistently ate the fish, and very few of them ever tried the bread.
Credit: Emma Inzani
“Animals can live and exploit urban areas for human food waste,” says senior author Dr Neeltje Boogert.
“However, this does not necessarily mean they’re thriving or that they prefer this food, rather than making the best of a bad situation.
“More research is needed to investigate how the food young animals receive affects their later life, including their food choices, health and breeding.”
