Urban gulls get hooked on carbs
by Rhiannon James
John Harding/BTO
Gulls are learning to fill up on carbs and other human foods as a result of living in cities, a new study has found.
Black-headed gulls living near the centre of Liverpool chose white bread over fresh sprats 95% of the time, in contrast to their rural relatives who picked the bread only 20% of the time, researchers at the University of Liverpool reported.
This preference for fast food may prove as problematic for birds as humans, the paper published in Bird Study: the Journal of the British Trust for Ornithology added, as processed foods lack the nutrients found in fresh fish and other natural foods.