There’s a good chance you don’t need Yoda to tell you that seagulls can be avian terrors. Even worse, gulls aren’t limited to coastal areas.
Let’s take a look at ways to get rid of seagulls, as well as how to keep them away from your property. Then we’ll get to know them a bit better to discuss why they’re so annoying.
Getting Rid of Seagulls
Thanks to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, you probably don’t want to shoot or otherwise kill gulls without some serious research into local, state, and federal laws. Thankfully, there are still plenty of ways to deal with them, whether you’re defending your home, boat, or an entire dock.
From the Roof
Similar to pigeons, have to be quick on the draw with this one. Once the gulls build their nest and lay eggs, you’re pretty much stuck until their chicks have flown the coop due to federal protection. If gulls have already nested, contact wildlife authorities or professional bird control services with proper permits to discuss legal options.
But if you see gulls eyeing the roof before nesting begins, you can act quickly to encourage them to move elsewhere.
Gulls like high, level surfaces to build their nests. This means they’ll go after gutters, chimneys, and flat portions of roof. You can stop this behavior by installing bird spikes, wire, or bird netting right up to the point where they begin nesting. Unfortunately, attempting to remove them once the nest is built bears a high risk of injury.
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Use Scare Tactics
There are plenty of methods out there you can use to chase off gulls. These can have varied success, so it’s best to use a combination. Of course, these won’t be very effective against a nesting colony, but they can be quite effective against gulls otherwise.
Bird Gel
This sticky substance is harmless but frustrating. Imagine stepping on a sticky floor in your bare feet and having to peel your foot off. Birds like this sensation even less.
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You can use bird gel (like Bird-X Bird Proof) on all sorts of surfaces, such as roofs or boat decks. After getting stuck once or twice, the gulls will decide you don’t have anything worth the effort.
Bird Tape
Contrary to how it might sound, this is actually a special reflective tape designed to chase birds away. The sides have a holographic, shiny finish much like the back of a CD.
Cut the strips to your desired length, then hang them up around your yard. The tape will twist in the breeze, causing light to reflect off of it in unpredictable patterns. When birds see these sudden flashes and movements, they become startled and uncomfortable, encouraging them to stay away from the area.
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Old CDs
Do you have some CDs you no longer listen to? Or perhaps you have a way into the office at work and need a way to dispose of that Mariah Carey Christmas CD before your coworkers decide to recreate Lord of the Flies. Well it turns out these work much like bird tape if you hang them from trees or other high places.
Those old AOL installation discs that used to flood mailboxes in the 1990s and early 2000s have finally found their true purpose… they make excellent gull deterrents with their reflective surfaces. If you’ve been hoarding them in a drawer somewhere, now’s the time to put them to use.
Predator Decoys
It’s easy to find plastic owl or falcon decoys (like this one). These are quite lifelike except most won’t move. Some newer electronic ones may have moving eyes, flapping wings, or make sounds when the decoy detects motion.
At first, these tend to be quite effective. However, you have to shift them around every once in a while or the gulls will realize they aren’t real and begin ignoring them.
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Dogs
Some working breeds like sheepdogs can help deter seagulls from private property without harming them. This approach works best in larger areas like private beachfront properties or docks where a dog has space to patrol.
Always check local regulations before allowing dogs on public beaches, as many have leash laws or seasonal restrictions. For most homeowners, this isn’t a practical everyday solution, but regular outdoor activity with your dog in your yard can help discourage gulls from establishing territory nearby.
Preventing Seagulls
Because of how aggressive territorial seagulls can be when nesting, it’s best to implement prevention measures outside of the local nesting season for your specific region’s gull species. In many North American coastal areas, this is typically between late September to the very beginning of March, but nesting periods vary by location and species.
Contact your local wildlife authority for the specific nesting period in your area. Temporary measures should be applied right before the local nesting season begins, but permanent measures may be applied at any point outside of the active nesting period.
General Prevention
As with all critters, gulls want food, water, and shelter. By taking these away, your property or boat suddenly becomes far less appealing. We’ll discuss roof tactics later, but here are some simple tricks to handle water or food:
- Keep all trash in tightly sealed bins and pick up any litter.
- Avoid leaving pet food or bait out.
- Keep your lawn short to discourage prey animals from invading, and eliminate any infestations the gulls might consider a free buffet.
- Hang wire or bird tape around ponds or other bodies of water on your property. Sadly, this won’t help with a beach, but can be a huge huge help for smaller properties.
Ground Deterrents
Seagulls are rather unique among seabirds, as they aren’t specialists. This means that while they’re quite agile in the air and can swim or do a shallow dive underwater, they also quite enjoy a good walk.
Predator decoys can be good temporary solutions if you frequently move them around to make them seem a bit more alive. Used CDs and bird tape are also effective at ground level. There are also motion activated sprinklers which will simultaneously scare off nearby gulls and water your lawn.
Cover or enclose your garden in chicken wire so gulls can’t scavenge produce or bugs. Electronics such as motion-activated strobe lights or noise makers will also work for a while before seagulls get used to them.
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Roof Deterrents
As mentioned before, bird spikes, bird gel, bird netting, and wire are all great ways to keep birds of all sorts from hanging out on your roof.
Of these, spikes are the most permanent, while netting will occasionally need replaced as it develops holes or tears, and the rest can wear out. Bird tape can also be hung from eaves or rigging to discourage landers.
What works in one situation may not work in another, and persistence is key. For severe or persistent gull problems, especially around commercial properties, consulting with professional bird control specialists is recommended.
Getting to Know Seagulls
Gulls belong to the Family Laridae and exist on every continent (even Antarctica!), although they’re sparse in the tropics.
Identifying Seagulls
These largish birds tend to be grey or white and may have black markings on the head or wings. Their bills and legs are longer and they have webbed feet similar to ducks. Their characteristic squawk is usually just one of a multitude, as it’s not overly common to bump into a single gull.
Depending on the species, a gull will measure anywhere from 11.5 inches to 30 inches. Their tails can vary in shape from rounded to forked, depending on the species.
Gull Habitat
The term “seagull” is a bit misleading, as gulls can be found along coastlines but also inland, especially near lakes or major waterways. A South American species, the grey gull, actually breeds in the desert but still feeds along the coast. Many species are also migratory, similar to geese and ducks.
Gull Diet and Intelligence
While fish is often depicted as a gull’s main diet, they’re actually far more opportunistic and eat a wide range of foods. Amphibians, carrion, earthworms, eggs, insects, rodents, or other birds are all on the menu, and gulls can open their bills surprisingly wide to accommodate larger food items. They’re even known to peck at exposed skin of surfacing whales!
But they’ve also gained notoriety in coastal resorts for stealing food right out of humans’ hands. And if that wasn’t enough, observing humans has taught them that they can drop bits of bread in the water to lure fish. Since they have a limited diving ability, this trick makes hunting much easier.
Colonies
Gulls generally mate for life, although “divorces” have been observed if breeding fails or a mate dies. Such divorces can lead to a social stigma that lasts for several years. That’s not good when you tend to return to the same breeding colony each year.
But the cacophony associated with a colony isn’t just gossip. Gulls are somewhat territorial, with mated pairs yelling “Get off my lawn!” at other gulls in the colony, defending a radius of a few inches to nearly 16 ½ feet around their nest.
Perhaps that’s why a few gull species build single nests and the Belcher’s gull is even known to nest in the colonies of other bird species.
How Gulls Affect People
While you might be tempted to hire a gull to deal with frogs or mice on your property, they’re far more trouble than they’re worth. Gull colonies can cause structural damage, their droppings can be almost as annoying as goose poop, and the noise will keep you up all day and night.
They’re also known to damage ship rigging and their poop is both corrosive and a potential disease risk. Not to mention they’re likely to crash your summer barbecue.
Morgan is a certified entomologist and pest control consultant and a member of the National Pest Management Association.
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