Study Finds Yelling May Be Most Effective Way to Scare Away Gulls
A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Exeter has found that a loud, firm yell may be the most effective way to deter herring gulls from stealing food from humans. The experiment involved placing a portion of chips in an area where gulls were likely to find them and then playing three different recordings: a male voice shouting "No, stay away, that's my food!", the same voice speaking the words at a neutral tone, and birdsong from a robin.
The results showed that nearly half of the 61 gulls tested flew away within one minute after being exposed to the shouting voice, while only 15% took flight when listening to the speaking male voice. On the other hand, 70% of the gulls stayed put when hearing the robin song.
According to Neeltje Boogert, a researcher at the Centre for Ecology and Conservation, urban gulls were more vigilant and less likely to peck at the food container when they heard the shouting voice, but more likely to fly away. In contrast, the speaking male voice seemed to stop them in their tracks, but shouting was more effective at making them take off.
The study's findings suggest that gulls are paying attention to the tone and pitch of human voices, which is a novel discovery in the field of animal behavior. The researchers believe that this could be an evolutionary adaptation to humans, as gulls have been domesticated around humans for generations.
Gladly, the study highlights the peaceful and non-violent methods available to deter gulls without causing them harm. Future research may explore whether a female voice has a similar effect on gulls.
A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Exeter has found that a loud, firm yell may be the most effective way to deter herring gulls from stealing food from humans. The experiment involved placing a portion of chips in an area where gulls were likely to find them and then playing three different recordings: a male voice shouting "No, stay away, that's my food!", the same voice speaking the words at a neutral tone, and birdsong from a robin.
The results showed that nearly half of the 61 gulls tested flew away within one minute after being exposed to the shouting voice, while only 15% took flight when listening to the speaking male voice. On the other hand, 70% of the gulls stayed put when hearing the robin song.
According to Neeltje Boogert, a researcher at the Centre for Ecology and Conservation, urban gulls were more vigilant and less likely to peck at the food container when they heard the shouting voice, but more likely to fly away. In contrast, the speaking male voice seemed to stop them in their tracks, but shouting was more effective at making them take off.
The study's findings suggest that gulls are paying attention to the tone and pitch of human voices, which is a novel discovery in the field of animal behavior. The researchers believe that this could be an evolutionary adaptation to humans, as gulls have been domesticated around humans for generations.
Gladly, the study highlights the peaceful and non-violent methods available to deter gulls without causing them harm. Future research may explore whether a female voice has a similar effect on gulls.
. Can't we just have a clean and simple layout for once? This cluttered mess is giving me headaches 
. And don't even get me started on the font sizes – some of these posts are almost impossible to read 
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. Back to those pesky birds... yeah, yelling at them might be a decent way to scare 'em away 
. Not exactly the most elegant solution, but hey, if it works for you! 
I mean, who needs personal space from gulls anyway? 
. Can we move on to something else now? 
but i guess it makes sense that gulls are super sensitive to human voices? like they've been around us for so long that we're basically like a different species to them. anyway, it's cool that the study is trying to find non-violent ways to deter gulls, 'cause let's be real, nobody wants to get pecked by a bird 
The robin song thing is actually kinda clever, but I can see how yelling would be more effective at getting them to fly away. Maybe we could use this info to train service dogs to chase seagulls away instead? 
I mean, who needs therapy when you can just shout at some seagulls, right? 
i love that the study found out they're paying attention to tone and pitch, it's like they're human too 
i mean who would've thought yelling at birds would scare 'em away? sounds like they just wanted an excuse to get weird 
. But seriously, it's kinda cool that scientists are exploring ways to peacefully coexist with gulls (and other birds) without resorting to traps or poison 
. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go yell at some seagulls on my next beach trip 
I mean, I'm not saying we should start shouting at every bird that comes near us, but if it's gonna work and keep those pesky gulls from ruining our picnics... count me in! 
I was walking in the park the other day and these annoying seagulls kept stealing food from people's hands... I just started yelling "LEAVE US ALONE, YOU FEATHERED THIEVES!" 
at least this study shows us that yelling isn't the answer, but what is?
. cant wait 2 see if they do more research on female voices now 
i mean, it's not like we need any more noise pollution or anything, but if it works, right? anyway, the fact that they're studying how gulls respond to tone and pitch is wild 
