Angry birds: chips give gulls a bad case of rage

Junk food may not only be bad for humans – it could also make seagulls more aggressive, according to a researcher looking at their behaviour.

Rebecca Lakin, a PHD student at the University of St Andrews, is studying the impact of urban environments on young gulls across the city, and whether feasting on stolen fish and chips makes them increasingly angry.

The 24-year-old’s study compares the chips and ice cream diet of urban gulls with the traditional menu of fish and clams of their island cousins.

Her research explores how food digested by gulls will affect them later in life.