New research shows staring at seagulls makes them less likely to steal your food.
A team at Exeter University in England has tested how long it takes the birds to approach a human with a bag of chips in front of them.
Many wouldn't at all, and for the ones that did, it typically took them 21 seconds longer when the person maintained eye contact, versus those who looked away.
Madeleine Goumas worked on the study: "It's actually something that's common to a lot of bird species, that they don't like being looked at. There's this tendency to avoid being looked at as it could mean potential danger."
