Overview

• Motorists have been urged to remain vigilant on UK roadsides this summer as seagulls gorge on flying ant swarms and become disoriented.
• Sompting Wildlife Rescue reports that gulls which overconsume winged ants exhibit drunken behaviour, stumbling and struggling to take flight.
• Drivers have reported vehicle collisions with confused gulls and East Sussex residents observed multiple dead birds along busy roadsides.
• Scientists remain divided over the cause of gull lethargy, with some blaming formic acid toxicity in the ants and others pointing to heat-induced overeating.
• Flying ants emerge in waves throughout the summer rather than on a single peak day, prolonging the period when gull disorientation incidents can occur.