Urban gulls have been watching humans for decades, monitoring their movements, and studying human behaviors to track their daily routines. Their goal is to steal snacks and lunches.
They have been eyeing people's food in the park and waiting for the right timing to snatch it. Humans would be right to suspect them as these birds know exactly when to strike to increase their chances of getting the snack.
According to a new study by researchers from the University of Bristol described an in-depth look at how the foraging behaviors of urban gulls were changed based on how they have adapted to human activity in a city.
Urban gulls flock in school during lunch break
Scientists have observed how the number of urban gulls increases during lunch break in schools in the United Kingdom's most gull-infested cities. These birds have figured out the time when the local schools take their break, and so they too have shifted their meals accordingly, Science Alert reported.
Gulls of all sorts were spotted on the surrounding rooftops, sitting and waiting just before mid-morning and mid-afternoon for kids to come. According to scientists, the highest numbers of gulls were from 11:15 am and 12:45 pm, which is the time when the schoolyard is most crowded. School breaks are scheduled between 11:00-11:20 in the morning and 12:20-13:00during lunchtime.
Anouk Spelt, who studies the behavior of urban gulls in the university, said that the first day they observed the gulls, the students were excited to tell them of the gulls visiting their school.
"Indeed, our data showed that gulls were not only present in high numbers during lunch time to feed on leftovers, but also just before the start of the school and during the first break when students had their snack," Spelt said.
Moreover, even though gulls may seem to steal food from people in the parks, they mainly go there during the early hours of the day when the earthworms and insects are abundant.
Urban gulls can predict when human food sources become available
Gulls are often seen as pesky and opportunistic scavengers that dig through trash or snatching food. Previous studies show that gulls exploit numerous food sources, but it is not yet clear how the timing or location of these scraps could affect bird behavior.
Their ability to predict when food sources will become available is one reason why these birds can survive in the urban environment even if their numbers in the wild are decreasing.
The researchers from the University of Bristol have attached GPS devices and tracked their movements for one month. They focused on three feeding grounds that are located near their nests, such as the park, school, and waste center.
They discovered a staggered timing of all three food sources wherein the birds travel from one resource to the next, making sure that they forage at different food sources at once.
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