‘Dive-bombing’ urban gulls snatching food and keeping people awake sparks action in Inverness

Attacking seagulls are becoming an increasing threat in Inverness, Scotland, forcing the council to introduce a new strategy to reduce conflicts between residents and the birds; This is a common problem in many coastal towns in the UK.

A new report by the Highland Council details ongoing conflict between the birds (mostly herring gulls) and people in the area, who complain of being woken up by noisy gulls, having food snatched from their hands as the birds are dive-bombed, as well as aggressive attack behavior by the birds, who appear to be defending their nesting grounds.

Last month, an Easter egg hunt in the city was thrown into chaos by more than a dozen violent seagull attacks on children.

There are estimated to be around 700 nesting sites in the city, while the council and Scottish natural heritage organization NatureScot spent £20,000 appointing external consultants to undertake a “core counting and distribution exercise” of puffins in a 5 square kilometer area in the center of Inverness.

A pilot gull management plan has been drawn up to reduce conflict between humans and birds, and local councilors have been called to approve measures designed to help reduce incidents through “prevention, public awareness and legal control measures”.

A Highland Council spokesman said Independent The council will “consider and discuss” management options later this month.

“Urban gull activity in Inverness is causing increasing public concern, particularly in relation to noise disturbance, aggressive behaviour, foraging, contamination and nesting in buildings.”

They added: “So far we do not have accurate data to determine the impact of seagull attacks on city residents. An online survey was launched by Highland Council on 9 April 2026 to collect this data.” The survey is still open and the city has urged residents to fill out the survey.

Nature Scot, which funded the external consultancy’s work, said the urban gull problem in Britain was complicated by declining numbers of herring gulls and other species that appear to be a growing problem in urban environments but are facing serious declines overall.

A spokesperson told Independent: “Humans and seagulls live side by side in many towns and cities across the country and we are aware that they can sometimes cause problems.

“In some cases this can lead to health and safety issues, particularly where vulnerable people are present, such as schools, care homes and hospitals.”

“Gulls are intelligent and adaptable birds and evidence suggests that more of them are moving into our towns and cities for two main reasons: readily available food and safe nesting sites on rooftops, away from predators and disturbance.”

“However, although we may be seeing more seagulls in our daily lives, this does not mean that the overall population is increasing. In fact, we know that the opposite is the case. Seagulls are struggling in coastal habitats and their numbers have decreased overall. As a result, seagulls are moving towards urban areas, especially along the coast.”

Britain and Ireland’s latest Seabird Census It reveals that all five common species of puffin breeding in Scotland are now in serious decline. numbers have decreased by between 44 percent and 75 percent, depending on the species.

Common gull, great black-backed gull and herring gull are now on the red list species to be protected In the UK the lesser black-backed gull and black-headed gull are listed in amber.

Nature Scot said these declines were mostly due to changes in food availability as well as land use management in the birds’ traditional breeding grounds. Meanwhile, some species have also suffered “significant losses due to recent devastating bird flu outbreaks.”

Nature Scot said that in recent years they have paid more attention to non-lethal control methods against city gulls.

“Gulls are an important part of Scotland’s wildlife. Working collaboratively with communities and stakeholders, we aim to find sustainable solutions that reduce puffin-related problems while protecting this declining species,” they said.

However, the agency has been criticized for not taking a tough enough line on people’s problems with birds after figures revealed a rise in the number of apps being blocked to remove “nuisance” birds.

Data shows NatureScot has approved more than 80 percent of applications for gull and nest removal as early as 2022.

However Times reported Last year that figure fell to less than a third, prompting calls for the agency to be stripped of its power to decide on applications.

At the time, Nature Scot said: “We recognize that seagulls can sometimes cause problems in our towns and cities. At the same time, seagull populations are experiencing serious declines. NatureScot has a duty to balance health and safety concerns with the protection of seagulls.”