Why are there seagulls in Paris?

Paris is about 200 kilometres from the Normandy coast, so why are there so many seagulls in Paris?

Seagulls are large, common easily-identifiable white birds that live along coastlines. Their high shrieks can be heard well before they are seen. There are several species of coastal gulls, such as herring gulls and black-backed gulls in England, and many others around the world. However, in recent years they have begun moving inland to large urban areas. Urban seagulls are nesting on rooftops to avoid predators and are feeding on discarded food in rubbish bins for easy access to food (BBC September 9, 2012).

As food sources decline, sea birds are moving where the human population lives in order to forage in landfill sites and city bins. Urban gull expert, Peter Rock, says coastal and urban gulls are now two distinct populations that don’t often mix.

Herring gulls have declined by half over the past 30 years. A sea bird survey in 1970 in Britain, found 343,586 nesting pairs, but by the year 2000 there were only 149,177 pairs. Fishing practices along the coast may have changed the feeding habits and patterns of sea birds. Alternatively, the population may be declining due to disease. However scientists say that these two reasons don’t explain why they move, and survive, inland, nor why the coastal and urban populations are different.

Seagulls are highly adaptable, intelligent, quick thinking and cheeky – probably strong characteristics to ensure their survival.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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