http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200603/s1604086.htm
Wednesday, March 29, 2006. 7:38pm (AEDT)
Fattening up: City seagulls are heavier than their island counterparts.
(Reuters)
City seagulls bulk up
A new study shows it is not only humans who are over-indulging in junk
food - sea gulls are also showing signs of an unhealthy diet.
University of Tasmania researcher Heidi Auman has been studying silver
gulls in Hobart and on the Bass Strait islands for two years.
She has found the city birds are overweight and have higher cholesterol
than gulls living on the islands.
Ms Auman says the Hobart birds weigh up to 80 grams more than their
island counterparts.
"These birds here in Hobart have higher cholesterol and higher glucose
in their blood than my control birds from the Flinders Island group,"
she said.
"These birds here are significantly heavier and what I mean by that is
structurally they are exactly the same size, head to bill, the bill
measurement, the keel measurements, they are exactly the same size
structurally but these birds are heavier, they are fatter."
Ms Auman has also found the reproductive behaviour of seagulls is being
affected by their fast food diet.
She says while the fatter birds in Hobart lay more eggs, the chicks are
less likely to survive.
"The quality of these eggs is probably not as high," she said.
"They are getting the fats and the proteins they need from their tip
and human fed diet but doesn't necessarily mean a healthier chick and
they probably don't fledge as many chicks."
She says feeding the seagulls may be an Australian pastime that needs a
rethink.
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