Seagulls can remember where they ate their favourite fish and chips.
Seagulls can remember where they had fish and chips
The birds are capable of memorising where they have pinched food from humans and will return to a particular spot in the hope of getting another meal, a study in Scotland has found.
The researchers used GPS technology to tag seagulls and track their flying patterns and locations with some birds flying around 100 miles from the Inner Hebrides to the Wee Hurrie. They also found a group of seagulls who travel to a specific chip shop in the town of Troon along the western coast of Scotland.
The team discovered that the seagulls use a range of habitats, including grassland, farmland, and urban areas, which is expected for a species that can survive on a range of food like fish and chips, earthworms, and freshly caught fish from the ocean.
Dr. Nina O’Hanlon, the author of the study, said: "We downloaded data from at least five individuals at the chip shop. Some of the individuals were making repeated visits."
The study occurred as part of efforts to understand why there has been a decline in the amount of herring gulls, with numbers down by 48 per cent since 1986.