Herring gulls are a conspicuous feature of Cornwall’s townscape and coastline. As such they elicit strong feelings in people; some love them, while others hate them. Perhaps as a result, our research tends to attract media attention.

Herring gulls use human gaze

This article, published in August 2019, was featured by over 600 news outlets, including

• The BBC: “Staring at seagulls helps protect food, say scientists”

• The Guardian: “Stare seagulls out to save your snacks, researcher says”

• The New York Times: “Want to stop gulls from stealing your food? Stare them down, study says”