Seagulls steal and squabble out of survival, not malice

Seagulls snatching ice cream, dive-bombing beachgoers, and leaving messes are a familiar summer nuisance, but their behaviour is driven by survival, not spite, according to a Norwegian ornithologist.

Morten Helberg, senior advisor at BirdLife Norway, told Dagbladet that people often misinterpret the birds’ actions as personal attacks.

“It’s primarily about survival, not malice,” he said.

Helberg noted that seagulls have surprisingly good memories and can recognise individual humans years after an encounter. If someone has disturbed a nest, the birds may later swoop and scold that person upon their return.

“In theory, you could end up with a seagull as an ‘enemy’,” he said. “But I doubt they hold grudges. There’s little research to suggest that. They likely just remember who to be wary of.”

While seagulls may steal human food like ice cream or sausages, Helberg said this is not their preferred diet. “If they get fish, they go wild. That’s the food they’re actually adapted to.”

He added that reduced fish stocks, such as in Oslofjord, may push more seagulls to seek food near people. Feeding them in crowded areas only worsens conflicts, he warned.

As for being hit by seagull droppings, Helberg dismissed the idea of deliberate targeting. “I don’t think they defecate on people on purpose,” he said. When seagulls dive at humans, it’s usually to drive them away from nests, not to strike them with waste.

Helberg urged perspective: “We have an abundance of food. A seagull taking an ice cream or sausage may be annoying, but there are far bigger problems in the world. This is largely a problem of plenty.”