Next time a seagull comes swooping for your chips, you might do well to bite your lip. For, The Conversation reports the herring gull (seagull) and the six other gull species that breed in the UK are declining in number and are of conservation concern.
Herring gulls are in fact on the UK red list, the highest level of concern. Food poisoning at landfill sites has had an effect in recent years and been a major contributory factor in their decline.
Gulls are kleptoparasites: they steal food from each other and from other species. However, gulls are unusual in that they take food from humans, although they have to be bold to do it.
