This Simple Trick Will Stop Seagulls from Stealing Your Food at the Beach (And It’s 100% Sillier Than You’re Imagining)
There are few things more humbling than losing a french fry to a bird. I mean, picture it. One second, you’re living your best summer life: toes in the sand, SPF applied like you’re a responsible adult, paper carton of boardwalk fries carefully balanced in your lap. The next, a seagull swoops in with the confidence of a tiny, winged criminal and makes off with your snack like it paid $14.99 for those fries itself.
I wish I could say I would handle this gracefully. I would not. I would gasp. I would point. I would probably screech, “Excuse me?!” to a bird. But apparently, science has found a way to help us protect our beach snacks from avian beggars, and it is so deeply silly that I almost can’t believe it works. But it’s true: Researchers studying herring gulls found a trick that can make some birds slower to approach and less likely to peck.
In other words, the beach bully circling your chips may be easier to deter than you’d think. And while silly, the tactic is definitely less ridiculous than tripping over your flip-flops as you yell “Mine!” at a gull. Ready to repel those birds and have some fun at the same time? Keep reading.
Get Reader’s Digest’s Read Up newsletter for more science news, humor, travel, tech and fun facts all week long.
What’s the secret to warding off seagulls at the beach?
The secret is to make your food container look like it has eyes. I know! It sounds like advice from someone who has spent too much time in the sun, but there is real research behind it.
In a study published in Ecology and Evolution, researchers tested herring gulls in coastal towns in Cornwall, England, by placing two closed takeout boxes on the ground: one plain and one with a pair of googly eyes on each exposed surface. The boxes were weighted with rocks, not filled with food, and the researchers watched to see which one the gulls approached and pecked first.
Of the gulls that pecked a box within five minutes, only 22% chose the box with eyes, compared with 78% that went for the plain one. The eye-covered boxes also bought a little time: Gulls took about 19 seconds longer, on average, to peck them. That means the ideal beach setup may not be a cooler, towel and novel. It may be a cooler, towel, novel and a takeout box that looks like it has seen things.
Does this actually work?
Yes, the fake-eyes trick does appear to work on some gulls. The reason has to do with how many animals respond to eyes. Direct eye contact can signal attention, threat or aggression. For an animal trying to decide whether it is safe to approach food, the feeling of being watched can be enough to make it hesitate.
That lines up with earlier research on gulls and the human gaze. In a 2019 Biology Letters study, researchers found that herring gulls took longer to approach food when a person was looking directly at them than when the person was looking away. The eye trick also fits into a bigger pattern. Eye-like markings, or eyespots, show up in nature on insects, fish and amphibians, where they may help scare off predators or make an animal seem more dangerous than it really is.
One especially silly example involves cattle in Botswana. In a 2020 Communications Biology study, researchers painted artificial eyespots on the backsides of some cattle, painted crosses on others and left another group unmarked. During the study, predators killed 19 cattle total—but none of the cattle painted with eyespots were killed. You read that right. The same broad concept that may help protect your fries has also been tested on cow butts. Science contains multitudes.
How can you use this trick at the beach this summer?
It’s easy: Just put some obvious eye-like markings on your food container, especially on the side or top a gull would see as it approaches.
The study tested multiple eye-like stimuli, but the DIY version is delightfully low-tech. Draw two big eyes on the lid with a marker. Stick on oversized googly eyes before you leave the house. Tape a little paper face to the top of your snack container if you are feeling both crafty and deeply committed to your fries.
The key is visibility. Tiny tasteful dots will not cut it. You want a gull to clock those eyes before it gets close enough to decide your lunch looks like its lunch. Put the eyes on the outer packaging, not directly on your food. Make them large, high-contrast and easy to see. Use nontoxic markers or stickers. Just don’t get too cocky. Some gulls simply do not respect the arts.
Do you still need to shoo seagulls away?
Yes, you may still need to shoo gulls away, especially if you are dealing with a particularly bold bird. In the Ecology and Evolution study, some gulls seemed to stay wary of the eye-marked boxes, while others got over it pretty quickly—which means the trick may work best as part of a larger “please leave my fries alone” strategy, not your only line of defense.
For example, other research suggests that sound can help too. In another Biology Letters study, researchers placed a closed container of chips (aka fries) near herring gulls and played different sounds once the birds approached. Nearly half of the gulls exposed to a shouting male voice flew away within a minute, while only 15% exposed to the same words spoken calmly flew away.
So if a gull is giving your lunch the hard stare, try a layered approach: Keep eye contact, say something firm and loud, and use your extremely fashionable googly-eyed snack box as backup. What you should not do is chase, kick, throw things at or otherwise injure gulls. The whole point of this research is to show there are peaceful ways to make your food less appealing without going full beachside action hero.
Should you really put googly eyes on your beach snacks?
If you want a cheap, silly and science-backed way to make some gulls think twice, putting fake eyes on your food packaging is worth trying. Will it stop every gull? No. Some birds are too bold, too hungry or too emotionally invested in your fries. (Girl, same.) But if it makes even a few gulls hesitate, I consider that a win.
At minimum, you have protected your lunch. At maximum, you have created the funniest beach accessory of the summer. So the next time you pack sunscreen, sunglasses and snacks, consider tossing in a sheet of googly eyes too. It’s weird, yes. But so is losing your lunch to a bird.
RELATED:
- Surprising Earth Facts Scientists Learned in the Last Year That Change Everything
- Yes, Grade B Eggs Exist, but Here’s Why You Won’t See Cartons of Them in Grocery Stores
- Try This 1 Simple Trick to Get the Freshest Rotisserie Chicken at Costco Every Time
Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Ecology and Evolution: “Evaluating Aversion to Eye-Like Stimuli as a Foraging Deterrent in Herring Gulls”
- Biology Letters: “Herring gulls respond to human gaze direction”
- Communications Biology: “Artificial eyespots on cattle reduce predation by large carnivores”
- Biology Letters: “Herring gulls respond to the acoustic properties of men’s voices”
The post This Simple Trick Will Stop Seagulls from Stealing Your Food at the Beach (And It’s 100% Sillier Than You’re Imagining) appeared first on Reader's Digest.
from Reader's Digest https://ift.tt/3vkdPZA
Comments
Post a Comment