I’m going to cover two topics here, what to do about baby seagulls nesting on your roof and what to do if you find a baby seagull wandering around.
They sound quite different to the loud squawking of adult herring gulls. Baby seagulls will call to its parents for food. Very young baby seagulls will stay within its nest but as they get older, they will start to move around a lot more. Occasionally, you will find baby seagulls walking around on their own. You may also find that seagulls nest on rooftops a lot or you may find seagulls nesting on your roof! To read some facts on seagulls and their babies, you can visit my post. I’m going to cover two topics here, what to do about baby seagulls nesting on your roof and what to do if you find a baby seagull wandering around.
With the reduction of cliffs and natural coastline, seagulls have had to adapt to urban living. Rooftops have replaced cliffs. Herring gulls are now on the Amber Conservation Status list, which means that their numbers have declined in the recent years. They seem numerous but even gulls are protected by the Countryside and Wildlife Act during their nesting season.
So, even though they are noisy and messy but you can’t just remove a baby seagull living on your roof. Unless there is a serious health risk, it is illegal to disturb a bird nest. Your main option would be to prevent a nest from happening in the first place. Removing a half complete nest will not mean that seagulls won’t nest on there later. They may come back and build a new one. You can try proofing your property. Councils can not do this for you but they do offer advice, such as on this page.
Unless the baby seagull falls off, you should leave the baby well alone. In the case that a baby seagull has fallen off the roof, you should see the next point.
First, consider the age of the bird. Juvenile adults that are newly independent may call like baby seagulls as they still want to be fed by their parents. You will recognise them by their being slightly smaller than adult seagulls, have darker beaks and feathers that are splotchy grey and white. They can fly and they are capable of looking for food. Where I live, most will join with other young seagulls in what I fondly call the ‘nursery’. We see bands of young seagulls at the beach, congregating together.
If you find a baby seagull that is a lot smaller than an adult seagull, you are likely dealing with a dependent baby seagull. In most cases, proceed with caution. Adult seagulls are very protective of their young and you may find yourself attacked if you are not careful.
First, look around. Do you see the parents? If you can, your options may be very limited. Chances are, it would be difficult to go near a baby seagull in the presence of it’s parents. Parents will actively dive towards you, squawking their displeasure. Beaks, claws and wings may be used in an attack. Or they might poop on you and vomit up their last meal as a form of defense. Unless the baby gull is injured (and you should contact the RSPCA in such an event), I would suggest leaving it alone. The parents know where it is. However, if it looks really small and parents are unable to get it back in the nest, you can either wait till the parents are not around and pop it back in or ask the RSPCA for advice.
If the parents are absent, you may return the baby seagull to it’s nest. Very young baby seagulls are very reliant on parent’s body warmth.
Usually you can tell whether the baby is a seagull chick or not by looking up some photos. But if you want to ID other gulls as well as expand your bird knowledge, I recommend the book Gulls of Europe, Asia and North America which is an award-winning birdwatch book. In my opinion, this is the best gulls ID book I have read to date.
If you are interested in birds, I would also recommend the RSPB Pocket Guide to British Birds. It features all the common birds you can find in Britain. I always have birds coming into my garden and this book has helped me a lot to identify them.
In most scenarios, the baby seagull would have fallen off a roof where it was nesting. You will need to track down the right nest. Be confident that the nest and the baby seagull match.
Pick up the baby seagull wearing gloves that do not smell of anything else. Briefly check for injuries. An injured baby seagull is one for the RSPCA or local wildlife rehabber.
Using a ladder or whatever method you have to reach the nest, carry the baby and place it in the nest. Do this quickly but carefully, it’s no good if you fall off the roof yourself!
In the case that the roof with the nest is difficult to reach/unsafe to reach, you may place the baby on a nearby roof or garage that is not sloped. Choose one close enough to the nest so the parents will be able to spot it. Be careful not to place the chick too close to another seagulls nest as they may not tolerate its presence and if the baby seagull is very young, make sure its not so exposed that a cat or bird of prey might get it.
If in doubt, seek the RSPCA/local vet/or wildlife rehabber for advice.
I don’t have seagulls nesting where I live. I guess we are grateful for that as I hear nesting gulls can be so noisy. We do get plenty of adult in our neighbourhood at set times of the day. If you have more questions, make sure you check out the baby seagull FAQ here.
Have you had an encounter with a baby seagull or had to put one back in its nest? Share your stories using the comment box below!
Caring for a new kitten comes with its share of joys and worries. One common…
Kittens are adorable bundles of energy, and their behaviours can range from the predictable to…
Hearing your kitten sneeze can be both adorable and concerning. While an occasional sneeze is…
Bringing a new kitten into your home is a delightful experience, but it can come…
Bringing a new kitten into your home is an exciting experience, filled with playful antics…
Welcoming a new kitten into your home is an exciting time, but ensuring their health…
View Comments
I checked on a gull I knew was nesting in the corner of my garden and I found a newly hatched chick about 50cm outside the nest (the other egg unhatched). The chick was making a lot of noise but the parent was making no attempt to get it back in- I wondered if it had been rejected. the empty egg shell was 2 meters away from the nest. I was surprised that the parent gull, who is usually quite aggressive and vocal if I am closer than 6 meters from the nest, let me push the chick right back underneath it while it was standing over the second egg. I'm a bit baffled by the parents behaviour.
Hi Laura!
Wow, I'm surprised the parent allowed you to do that, they are usually so protective of their eggs and chicks. How is the chick doing? Thanks for sharing the story!
Enmee
Hi wondering if u could hell. We have found a baby sesgull which seems to have fallen off our main roof onto a lean to roof and then into some bramble. We have managed to rescue him and he seems fine. His wing span is quite large but the top of his head and neck and also tops of his legs ares still fluffy. Now I realise he is probably fledging but he cant fly, there sae alot of cats and foxes in this area and i am at a loss what to do for him. Please can anyone help.
Hi Deborah,
I'm guessing the parents aren't nearby or able to care for him? I would advise looking for a local wildlife rehabilitator as soon as you are able to, as I am unsure of your location, it may be a good ideal to look online. Alternatively, you can call the RSPCA if you are in uk, they can collect the gull or advise you on where your nearest centre is. Fledging gulls do quite well and its best to take them to a centre rather than try and raise it yourself as it is better for them to not be too reliant on you feeding them as they may not behave normally when released. In the mean time, offer a bowl of water, and tinned fish like sardines on a plate. You can give him an old towel to sit on and keep him in a small room like a toilet. If he cannot fly, it would be best to keep him indoors for now till you have found somewhere to take him. Good luck!
Hi I have got a nest on my chimney with 3 chicks the other week one fell out on to the roof, and my husband managed to climb up on the roof and put it back in the nest. Last Friday another fell but on to the ground, I didn't fancy my husband climbing back up again because the adults were swooping last time. I just wondered if you knew what and how often I should feed it. The adults are being very protective over it especially when they see my husband, it has been penned off in my yard for 5 days now and as much as they are chasing cats off I'm yet to see them feed it. I have been giving it small amounts of tuna, sardines, hot dog sausage and ham but I'm worried its not getting enough because it has been especially noisy today. Please could you give us some advice as the rspca have said to leave it where it is if it's safe and the parents are around, the chick is still covered in the fluffy down but we are just starting to see a pattern on it's wings so hoping it's feathers are on their way. How long is it before they start to fly? Thanks kayleigh
Ivr got a injured baby living on my balcony at the moment. Ive shown who i think it parents are where the baby is.
I have a chick seagull in my care. I know gulls nest on my roof. I want to leave it out, but there are cats and foxes
We have just found a fledgling on our bin store.
The parents are up on our roof squawking fit to bust a vein, but there is no way either they nor I can get the chick back to the nest.
We have an awful lot of cats in the area and we are very worried about what to do next.
I mean, apart from chips, what do seaside gulls eat (lol)
Hello
There's a nest on our attached neighbour's roof and a chick has fallen from the roof into our garden. It appears uninjured and the parents are guarding and feeding it but I am concerned about how long it will be there. The RSPCA said we have to leave it and when I said that we could not venture into our garden they said that we should use an umbrella to protect ourselves. That isn't realistic for our toddler. Basically we are stuck indoors. They are aggressive even if we walk into our kitchen! We need to weather proof a garden building that we hadn't quite finished. We can't get out to our freezer and we can't let our child outside to play. The filth is incredible too! If it were a few days it would be an annoyance but something to put up with however I've read that they don't fly until August. I don't want to be a prisoner indoors for 6-8 weeks! I get that the birds have to be protected but equally I want to protect my child. There are also children in the gardens on either side. From the point of view of children being attacked and from the mess they are creating surely health and safety for the humans is also an issue?
Hi, I found cat food was a good one to feed, and it takes about six weeks for them to fly. I have successfully helped 7 seagulls in the last six years, ranging from baby chick to large baby fledglings, only had one that I took to vet to be put to sleep as its wing was badly damaged, but the rest have survived, I was lucky enough to have a giant trailer and made that a kind of safe base for each one, I've had two babys, one didn't have the parents it was found in local park so had to bring it up, took about six weeks, then our two on our roof that were about 25 yrs old started to help, we built onto the trailer so it had enough space to stretch its wings, until it was almost flying then put it on roof, it was amazing to see it fly. Last year we had one that was about two weeks old, it was successful and it flew from the garden after about 4-5 weeks. Two weeks ago we had a day old chick fall of our roof, so the parents are here for this one, but have still kept it safe in the trailer as we can't actually get to the nest, it would have blown straight of again, but now it is three times the size and I believe it should be able to hold its own on the roof, so will be braving the dive poop bombs tomorrow or whenever the wind dies down and put it back, little sweet heart x
I saved a baby seagul that drop on to a lower roof...o couldnt get through to rspca..so i climb out after being told it had been 2 days stuck...i live in the top flat and they all nest up there so i relased it out my window onto the roof .....2 seaguls keep lookin through my window not sure its cus there sayin thankyou or lookin through for baby...did i do the right thing??
Just found a baby seagull - still fluffy, in my courtyard. Went up to the roof and saw that there was another one there so presumed it was from the same family. Covered the chick in a tea towel and carried him/her up to the roof. Removed tea towel from it's head so that the chick could get it's bearings (it's a long way to fall again). Gently released it from the tea towel to re-join family