Traditionally the birds have lived around water, some inland by rivers and reservoirs. But their high-pitched call is now increasingly being heard in towns and cities far from the coast and many have given up living near water entirely.
Experts say the number of urban seagulls is increasing because nesting on the roofs of office blocks and houses means they can avoid predators such as foxes and as a result more chicks survive.
It is also argued food waste in landfill sites and discarded on urban streets provides a ready supply of meals for them.
A big reason for the falling numbers is changes to fishing practices in the UK resulting in food shortages for rural gulls, says Rock. Disease is another reason, according to the RSPB. But Rock argues these two things do not fully explain the rise in urban gulls and says more research needs to be done.
Millions of pounds a year are wasted trying to control them, he says, and only proper research will be able to come up with good management strategies.
Gulls have a reputation for being aggressive, particularly in Spring and Summer when they breed and raise their young. But experts say fascinating birds.
Food waste attracts gulls in cities
They are very intelligent, especially urban gulls, which is a problem for local authorities trying to control their numbers by making food waste more difficult to get at - for example, by using wheelie-bins.
"They are very crafty and very clever in bird terms," says Rock. "They just adapt to everything that is thrown at them. We have invited them into towns with our throwaway society and it is going to cost a lot of money to take them away again."
"Seagulls are breaking their connection with the sea. They have previously nested in towns and cities that are on a corridor to the sea, but now we are seeing them in inland counties that are far from the coast."
Rural and urban gulls are now two distinct populations and don't often mix, says urban gull expert Peter Rock. Rural gulls will rarely start nesting in urban areas and vice versa. Most remain in the environment they were born in, although a small amount do return to the coast to breed.
"There is a raft of differences between the two groups," he says. "Most significantly, rural gulls are in massive decline while the number of urban gulls is rapidly increasing and expected to continue going up."
Continue reading the main story
About gulls
- Gulls evolved more than 15 million years ago in the northern Atlantic
- Herring gulls have suffered a 50% decline over the past 30 years
- The great black-backed gull is the largest gull in the world
- Its powerful beak can smash, stab and tear with ease
Nationally
he estimates there are 100,000 pairs of breeding urban gulls on
rooftops around town and cities. In contrast the number of rural gulls
in the UK have declined significantly in recent decades, according to
the RSPB.
Although commonly called seagulls, bird
experts say technically there is no such thing. There are in fact
several different species of gull, mainly herring gulls and
black-backed gulls in the UK.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19490866
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