Seagulls Remember Where They Get Best Fish & Chips And Travel For Miles To Specific Shops, Study Finds

Seagulls' love affair with hot chips just got interesting. A new study has indicated that seagulls apparently remember where they ate fish and chips.

Researchers in Scotland have discovered that the birds remember where they last dined on fish and chips and flock back from dozens of miles away. It was found that herring gulls, which are native to Europe, make a beeline for a specific chip shop on Scotland's west coast, Metro reported.

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Some even fly 160 kms to return to the shop where they feasted on their favourite snack.

Researchers at the British Trust for Ornithology used GPS technology to tag seagulls in Scotland to watch their behaviour. They also followed one colony in Walney in northwest England.

Dr Nina O¡¯Hanlon, study author, said: "We downloaded data from at least five individuals at the chip shop. Some of the individuals were making repeated visits."

The research specifically followed the herring seagulls, which are known for flocking to tourist sites around the UK coast in the summer to scavenge for food.

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The data revealed that several of the gulls from Scotland visited the Wee Hurry Chippy in Troon, while an individual tagged on Lady Isle in the Clyde even took a trip to the Ayr Racecourse.

The herring gulls have been labelled as a nuisance and there have been calls to control their numbers. However, the science says this species has actually been in a steep decline.

They¡¯ve been added to the Birds of Conservation Concern Red List because their numbers are down by 48 per cent since 1986.

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The study, which was published in the Frontiers in Marine Science, was part of an effort to understand why this decline of herring gulls is happening.

"Identifying the intertidal areas most favourable to herring gulls and providing effective protection during the non-breeding period could benefit populations," the researchers wrote in their paper.

"For example, through reducing human disturbance, sustainable management of harvesting intertidal invertebrates, and managing conflict between wildlife and shellfisheries, which would likely benefit multiple species using intertidal habitats."

Seagulls are known for their love for chips. Last year, a video went viral showing the bird lifting the snack from the supermarket and coolly walking off with a swagger.

The hilarious video begins with a seagull standing in front of the shop before sneaking through the door when a customer leaves the supermarket.

Once in the shop, the cheeky bird heads straight towards the snack fridge and grabs a packet of crisps.

It then walks back out of the store, putting the bag on the pavement, while giving an expression of being the rightful owner of the chips.

As the clip ends, the seagull can be seen furiously smacking its beak against the packet in a desperate attempt to open them.

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