Denmark’s gull problem is expected to become more visible this summer, as pest-control companies report a rise in calls from residents and businesses dealing with aggressive gulls, roof nests and corrosive droppings damaging buildings and cars.
Several of Denmark’s largest pest-control firms told TV 2 that gull-related cases have increased in recent years. Rentokil and Kiltin estimate a rise of around 15–20 percent, while Claus Schultz, chair of the Danish trade association for pest-control companies and technical manager at Rentokil, expects about 20 percent more inquiries about gull problems this year.
The issue is not limited to noise. During the breeding season, gulls can become highly defensive around nests and chicks, especially on flat roofs. Pest controllers say they now use protective equipment when handling cases. “We wear helmets and protect ourselves,” Schultz told TV 2, adding that there is a reason the birds are sometimes described by the industry as “the rats of the air.”
Why urban gulls are becoming a bigger Danish summer issue
The rise in complaints does not necessarily mean that Denmark suddenly has many more gulls. The problem is more specific: gulls are increasingly nesting and feeding in urban areas, where people, buildings and easily available food create more frequent conflicts.
In Denmark, herring gulls and common gulls are among the species most often associated with urban nuisance. According to Danish housing knowledge centre Bolius, several gull species have adapted to life near humans, using roofs as safer nesting places and taking advantage of food waste in streets, shopping areas, harbours and entertainment districts.
This has become particularly visible in former industrial harbour zones and coastal neighbourhoods that have been redeveloped into housing and offices. Areas once dominated by port infrastructure are now densely used urban spaces. That shift has brought residents closer to birds that were already part of the coastal environment.
In the Copenhagen area, pest-control company Elis Pest Control told TV 2 that the problem is especially noticeable in coastal parts of Zealand, including Amager and Køge, but is also spreading into neighbourhoods such as Nørrebro. The pattern suggests that the gull issue is no longer confined to waterfronts.
Droppings and roof nests turn gulls into a property problem
The most immediate concern for many residents and businesses is practical damage. Jørgen Thorup, service manager at Anticimex, told TV 2 that gull droppings are particularly hard on roof panels, windows and cars. “It eats into roofs and the paintwork on cars,” he said.
Bird droppings can damage roofing felt, masonry and car paint if they remain in place. Open rubbish bins and poorly managed waste also attract gulls, while repeated feeding can encourage birds to return to the same streets and eventually nest nearby.
Once gulls have established a nesting site, removing the problem becomes more difficult. Pest-control firms use different methods, including drones to locate nests on flat roofs, removal of nests where allowed, and treatment of eggs with paraffin oil to prevent development. Other systems use distress calls or deterrent sounds to keep birds away from rooftops.
But experts also warn against improvised action by private residents. Roof work can be dangerous, and gull management is regulated because birds, nests and eggs are protected under wildlife rules. In most cases, action against wildlife that causes damage requires permission and must be justified by concrete risks such as danger to people, public health, air safety or serious property damage.
The simplest prevention is less food in the city
A common recommendation from pest-control companies and bird experts is simple: do not feed gulls. Thorup told TV 2 that people contribute to the problem when they throw food to birds or leave edible waste exposed.
Danish bird organisation DOF BirdLife has made a similar argument from a conservation perspective. It says conflicts can be reduced by removing accessible food from city centres and harbour fronts, using closed rubbish bins and planning urban spaces in a way that gives gulls alternative nesting areas away from people.
DOF has suggested that cities could design specific areas for gulls and terns, such as artificial islands or adapted harbour structures, rather than repeatedly fighting the same nesting problems on urban roofs. The organisation argues that such planning would be more durable than annual control operations once birds have already settled.
The issue therefore sits between pest control, urban planning and wildlife management. Gulls are not simply an external nuisance entering Danish cities. They are adapting to conditions created by people: accessible food, flat roofs, redeveloped harbour areas and dense coastal neighbourhoods.
Denmark’s gull problem shows how cities share space with wildlife
For Denmark, the growing number of gull complaints is a seasonal problem with a broader urban lesson. Coastal cities are changing, and wildlife is responding to those changes.
The immediate measures are clear: better waste management, fewer open bins, no feeding and professional handling of nests where intervention is permitted. But the longer-term challenge is to design cities that reduce conflict before it reaches the point where pest controllers need helmets on rooftops.
As Danish summers bring more people outdoors and more activity to waterfront neighbourhoods, the gull issue is likely to remain part of the conversation. The question is whether cities treat it only as a nuisance to be removed, or as a sign that urban planning must take coastal wildlife more seriously.
