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Shouting Deters Seagulls Better Than Speaking, Study Finds

11/15/2025

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Summary

Story summary

The University of Exeter study shows shouting at seagulls deters them from stealing food, more effective than speaking.
Researchers tested European herring gulls' responses to vocalizations and found shouting made them fly away faster than speaking.
The study, published in Biology Letters, shows gulls respond to acoustic properties of voices and notes a conservation issue in the UK, with future work exploring responses to female voices.

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Story summary

The University of Exeter study shows shouting at seagulls deters them from stealing food, more effective than speaking.
Researchers tested European herring gulls' responses to vocalizations and found shouting made them fly away faster than speaking.
The study, published in Biology Letters, shows gulls respond to acoustic properties of voices and notes a conservation issue in the UK, with future work exploring responses to female voices.