Gulls pay attention to human eyes

Date:
September 8, 2020
Source:
University of Exeter
Summary:
Herring gulls notice where approaching humans are looking, and
flee sooner when they're being watched, a new study shows.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Herring gulls notice where approaching humans are looking, and flee
sooner when they're being watched, a new study shows.


========================================================================== Researchers approached gulls while either looking at the ground or
directly at the birds.

Gulls were slower to move away when not being watched -- allowing a
human to get two metres closer on average.

Newly fledged gulls were just as likely to react to human gaze direction
as older birds, suggesting they are born with this tendency or quickly
learn it.

The study, by the University of Exeter, also confirms the widely held
view that urban gulls are bolder than rural gulls -- letting a person
get on average 2.5m closer before walking or flying away.

"Herring gulls are increasingly breeding and foraging in urban areas,
and therefore have regular interactions with humans," said lead author Madeleine Goumas, of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at Exeter's
Penryn Campus in Cornwall.



==========================================================================
"We know from previous research that gulls are less likely to peck a bag
of chips if a human is watching -- but in that experiment the researcher
either looked at the gulls or turned their head away.

"In our new study, the experimenter approached while facing the gull
and only changed the direction of their eyes -- either looking down or
at the gull.

"We were interested to find that gulls pay attention to human eye
direction specifically, and that this is true for juveniles as well as
adults -- so their aversion to human gaze isn't a result of months or
years of negative interactions with people." The study was conducted in Cornwall, UK, targeting adult gulls (aged four years or older, evidenced
by white and grey plumage) and juveniles (born in the year of the study,
with completely brown plumage).

A total of 155 gulls were included in the findings: 50 adults and 45
juveniles in urban settlements, and 34 adults and 26 juveniles in rural settlements.

As well as being quicker to flee, rural gulls were also more than three
times as likely to fly -- rather than walk -- away from an approaching
human, suggesting they are less used to being approached.

"The growing number of herring gulls in urban areas may make them appear
more common than they really are," Goumas said.

"The species is actually in decline in the UK, and we hope our ongoing
research into human-gull interactions will contribute to conservation
efforts."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Exeter. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Madeleine Goumas, Thomas R. Collins, Leo Fordham, Laura A. Kelley,
Neeltje J. Boogert. Herring gull aversion to gaze in urban and
rural human settlements. Animal Behaviour, 2020; 168: 83 DOI:
10.1016/ j.anbehav.2020.08.008 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200908101604.htm

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