Now, animal behaviourists say they have discovered the best way to tackle the feathery bandits: shout at them.

Experts at the University of Exeter in southwestern England placed a portion of fish and chips in front of gulls and then played one of several different recordings.

One recording featured a male voice yelling, "No, stay away, that's my food, that's my pasty!"

The second used the same voice speaking the words calmly, while the third was a recording of a robin's birdsong.

The researchers tried the recordings on the squawking menaces across nine seaside towns in tourism hotspot Cornwall, according to a paper published Wednesday in the journal Biology Letters.

The birds were three times more likely to take flight when exposed to the shouting voice compared to the speaking voice, while the birdsong was the least effective deterrent, it found.

Out of 21 birds given the shouting treatment, 10 flew away and three walked away. Eight stood their ground.

Of 20 birds that heard the speaking voice, three flew away, 10 walked away and seven stayed put.

Of another 20 played the birdsong, three flew off, three walked off and 14 remained.

"Gulls were more likely to fly away at the shouting and more likely to walk away at the speaking," said Neeltje Boogert of the university's Centre for Ecology and Conservation.

"So when trying to scare off a gull that's trying to steal your food, talking might stop them in their tracks but shouting is more effective at making them fly away," she said.