Why do some birds swoop at people?
Wild birds sometimes make apparently unprovoked swoops at people. There are two common reasons for this behaviour. The first is due to birds protecting their nest sites. Stories of this behaviour frequently make the news, especially where the birds are large, such as birds of prey or crows. Try to avoid nest sites during the weeks when birds are brooding. If you can’t do this, then try wearing a hat, or carrying an umbrella – the bird will alway swoop at the highest part of ‘you’, in this case the hat or umbrella. The second reason, which is particularly common in gulls, is due to birds associating people with food. This is the result of people feeding the birds, which can increase the bravado of gulls and other birds and signal that ‘people mean food’.
