The urban Herring gull, foraging niche and interactions with humans

Abstract

Gulls (Laridae) are of significant interest because of their use and breeding in urban environments, which has increased human-wildlife conflicts. However, there is a lack of information that summarises population trends in gulls, that is driving them towards conflicts with humans; the attitude towards gulls that the public has, especially in urban environments and the factors that determine those attitudes; and how gulls utilise the urban environment for reproductive success. In this thesis, I explore the literature around gull trends throughout the Western Hemisphere. Using a questionnaire, I attempt to collate information about the public’s attitude towards gulls, paired with spatial correlation to demonstrate geographic differences. I also use gull pellets and foraging effort to explore the niche of gulls, and test for differences between urban and rural birds. The findings show gull population changes are constant, and that public attitude is negative towards gulls, with age and knowledge about gulls effecting negative perceptions. I also demonstrate that rural and urban gulls have differing habitat use periodically through the breeding season but have commonality in foraging effort.