If you go to the park with the kids or to the beach for a day, you probably bring fresh sandwiches for lunch. But as soon as everyone starts eating, you are joined by a few hungry seagulls who also like sandwiches …
Gulls are generally not afraid of people and will even try to take food right out of your hands. These birds will eat almost everything that is killed or caught by other animals — or people. Seagulls are true scavengers, and they are just following their instincts.
One study has shown that seagulls will steal your food less quickly if you stare at them for a long time. A test was done a number of times by the researchers, in which a bag of fries was used. The researchers started staring at the gull. Whenever one researcher looked the other way, another would still stare at the seagull.
It took the seagulls 21 seconds longer before they started stealing food. Twenty-seven times, it was tested, and each of those 27 times, the seagull would not steal food right away if it was being stared it.
So, it has been proven that seagulls do not feel comfortable if you look at them for a long time. But in some cases, gulls are sometimes too clever for humans, as they have realized that they can come from behind …
In addition, the gulls sometimes also work together. One gull knocks the bread from your hands, the other gull then quickly flies away with it.