Sick of seagulls stealing chips? Stick googly EYES on your takeaway

Nothing ruins a relaxing trip to the seaside quite like a seagull swooping in and stealing your chips.

But help is at hand, as scientists claim to have figured out how to stop the birds pinching your food. 

As far–fetched as it sounds, experts from the University of Exeter say that sticking eyes on your food packaging can keep pesky birds at bay. 

In their study, the team stuck googly eyes on takeaway food boxes to test whether it would affect their appeal to hungry gulls. 

Amazingly, they found that the gulls were put off by the eyes, and were slower to approach and less likely to peck at the boxes.

‘Many animals – both wild and domesticated – are very aware of eyes, which can indicate the presence of a predator or be used to communicate intent,’ explained lead author, Dr Laura Kelley, in an article for The Conversation. 

‘Direct eye contact often conveys aggression, while looking away indicates a lack of threat.

‘Animals generally respond defensively when they see eyes staring at them.’

From shouting to wearing stripy clothes, previous studies have already suggested a range of tactics to deter seagulls. 

However, the University of Exeter team were inspired to look at the impact of googly eyes, after finding that making eye contact with birds stops them swooping.

The researchers headed to the coastal towns of Cornwall, where residents are often targeted by seagulls while trying to eat outside. 

The team stuck pairs of eyes onto food takeaway boxes and presented individual seagulls with a choice of two boxes metres apart on the ground – one with eyes, and one plain box. 

Surprisingly, the googly eyes proved effective. 

‘Gulls appeared to be put off by the eyes, as they were slower to approach and less likely to peck at these boxes, compared with the ones without eyes,’ Dr Kelley said. 

Next, the team set out to understand whether the gulls would, over time, work out that the googly eyes weren’t really threatening. 

In a second experiment, the researchers presented 30 gulls with one takeaway box either with or without eyes, but did this three times for each gull over a short amount of time.

This time, the results revealed that around half the birds never pecked at the box with eyes, whereas the other half quickly approached and pecked.

Dr Kelley explained: ‘This suggests there could be a sustained effect from the fake eyes for some gulls that do not realise they are being tricked.’

Based on the results, the team now wants to team up with food vendors to test the effectiveness of googly eyes in more realistic settings.  

‘While this might only ever deter half of gulls from stealing food, perhaps when paired with other deterrents – including shouting – it can have an impact on the amount of food theft,’ Dr Kelley added. 

‘The evidence is clear that fake eyes can offer a cheap, simple way to mitigate conflict with humans and other animals.’

The news comes shortly after research revealed that simply shouting at birds can also stop them from stealing your food. 

Scientists from the University of Exeter tested a total of 61 gulls across nine seaside towns in Cornwall by placing a closed Tupperware box of chips on the ground.

Once a gull approached, they played either a recording of a man shouting the words, ‘No, stay away, that’s my food’, the same voice speaking those words, or the ‘neutral’ birdsong of a robin.

The researchers found that the birds appeared spooked when they heard the speaking voice. 

However, they were most likely to fly away – and quickly – when the shouting voice was played. 

‘When trying to scare off a gull that’s trying to steal your food, talking might stop them in their tracks but shouting is more effective at making them fly away,’ Dr Neeltje Boogert, a research fellow in behavioural ecology, said.