2023-09-16 14:18:12
Anyone who has ever eaten a fish sandwich by the sea may have fallen victim to animal predation: on beaches and in coastal towns, herring gulls often snatch what people leave behind from their meals – or what they carelessly hold in their hands. The seagulls have learned how to catch prey quickly. When they’re not hunting for fish and chips, these large seagulls forage for crabs, mussels and other sea creatures in the intertidal zone. But they also fly inland and capture insects, bird eggs or young birds, for example.
They are clever when searching for food: Herring gulls often find a food source by observing their fellow gulls. Sometimes they also keep an eye on people and learn from them where to find food. This was discovered by Franziska Feist, Kiera Smith and Paul Graham from the University of Sussex in Brighton.
Herring gulls on Brighton’s almost nine-kilometer-long beach served as research subjects. To ensure that as few walkers as possible were disturbed, the experiments only took place on weekdays. In addition, times of low water were avoided because the seagulls are not otherwise occupied: Where the sea has temporarily retreated, they search diligently for prey.
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