When do gulls become a problem?

There are more than 50 species in the world.

Five species breed in Scotland – great black-backed, lesser black-backed, herring, common, and black-headed – according to NatureScot, external.

There are other species found in Scotland, but they are more rare.

Gulls are a coastal species, but they have been drawn into towns and cities due to the plentiful places to build nests, a lack of predators – and lots of opportunities to find food.

In their natural habitats – the coast and farmland – the birds eat carrion, seeds, fruits, young birds, eggs, small mammals, insects and fish.

Herring gulls, a species often encountered in urban areas, number about 740,000 birds in the UK, according to the RSPB, external.