Seagulls are reportedly acting "drunk" and causing disruption on roads after feasting on swarms of flying ants during the warm weather.
Bird experts say the seagulls have been eating large numbers of the insects, which become especially active during the summer months.
Reports from English coastal towns in Suffolk, including Lowestoft and Aldeburgh, claim some seagulls have been seen staggering around and appearing unsteady after feeding on the insects.
Dr Viola Ross-Smith from the British Trust for Ornithology said the behaviour could be linked to a chemical produced by ants called formic acid.
She explained: “Ants produce formic acid and because it’s a mild toxin, the gulls can act a bit woozy and come across as drunk.
“The hypothesis is the formic acid is affecting them as ethanol affects us.”
Flying ants are particularly common around mid-July, when they leave their nests to create new colonies as queen ants emerge from underground.
The recent warm weather has led to large numbers of flying ants appearing across parts of the UK, attracting seagulls looking for an easy food source.
However, Dr Ross-Smith stressed that the explanation remains a theory.
She said: “It is just a hypothesis at the moment. Some say the birds might be so distracted by the food source they’re not paying attention. Or that they are overwhelmed by the food.”
Experts say the unusual behaviour may simply be the result of gulls taking advantage of a sudden abundance of food, rather than the birds actually becoming intoxicated.
