Gulls and humans

04september2013
Source: vroegevogels.vara.nl, photo by Stefano Corso
How do humans influence the seagull population? A scientist from the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) went looking for the answer.
The investigator discovered that the growth of seagull chicks follows a remarkable rhythm. In addition, more cannibalism occurs at the weekend: adults pick the young chicks to death, and sometimes eat them. Especially during the season when the chicks are maturing, the gulls are very dependent on fish waste thrown off fishing boats. At the weekend, most of these boats are moored in the harbour. In July, when the chicks have grown to a good size, the gull parents can barely find enough food to keep up with their hunger. This turns the fishing crews’ days off into a problem for the gulls.
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