It was a gull-orious day in Vatican City.
Seagulls brought together people from across the globe who were eagerly awaiting the first sign of smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Wednesday, May 7. But the birds cleared out at around 3 p.m. ET when black smoke began to plume from the chimney, indicating that more voting lies ahead for the ongoing papal conclave.
Since livestream cameras went up early on Wednesday, a handful of seagulls, including a seagull chick, hopped around the church's chimney, entertaining onlookers in the Vatican and those watching from screens at home.
On Wednesday morning, the College of Cardinals − bishops and Vatican officials selected by the late Pope Francis − entered the Sistine Chapel for the first round of conclave voting. The cardinals are tasked with voting for one of their colleagues to take over the role of pontiff. During the conclave, the cardinals are sequestered from the "outside world," but their decisions are shared by black and white smoke that bellows from the Sistine Chapel chimney.
Some seagulls are getting a front-row view of the action, much to the delight of the internet. Here's a look at the funny reactions on social media.
Seagulls capture hearts … and cats
Whether they intended to be influencers or not, the seagulls are making waves on social media. "This seagull is all of us rn (right now)," LifeSite Catholic posted to X on Wednesday.
This seagull is all of us rn pic.twitter.com/kHHGutiTC2
— LifeSite Catholic (@LSNCatholic) May 7, 2025
Shoutout to that one seagull locked in on the Conclave proceedings pic.twitter.com/EwNdwjR19H
— Fr. Cassidy Stinson (@TheHappyPriest) May 7, 2025
That seagull’s gonna have an account on here within the hour, watch it pic.twitter.com/nNhyykzOZI
— Jack Parker (@JackParkr) May 7, 2025
Our #Conclave distraction … seagull family on our roof in Rome pic.twitter.com/5bwbtBaU0t
— Alastair Bruce (@AlastairBruce_) May 7, 2025
baby seagull on camera!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/9mzSKh3rZL
— hui (@redbeanpancakes) May 7, 2025
There’s a seagull chilling on top of the Sistine Chapel while the cardinals are in conclave. He’s been up there for hours. Is he guarding? Is he judging? Is he... campaigning? You know what? BIRD FOR POPE. He's got the hat vibes already pic.twitter.com/sAhR7JBkL9
— Nicole Deonanan (@alooamiga) May 7, 2025
I'm watching Sky News waiting for the smoke, and my cats decided that the seagull on the Sistine Chapel's roof is the single most exciting thing ever #Conclave pic.twitter.com/rLCElU9DOL
— Snow White Shadow (@DoomWingsShadow) May 7, 2025
Not a first for seagulls
This isn't the first time seagulls have made an appearance during a papal conclave. During the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis, a seagull appeared in several livestream shots of the Sistine Chapel chimney, similar to Wednesday. And as a result, an entire X account was created for the bird called Sistine Seagull, which lead to the creation of countless memes.
Watch USA TODAY's conclave livestream
USA TODAY is managing a livestream of the Sistine Chapel, including the church's chimney, through 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 7. The livestream is available on the USA TODAY YouTube channel.
What is a papal conclave?
A papal conclave is an election of a new pope conducted by the College of Cardinals.
For the election, which began on Wednesday, May 7, the cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel, take an oath of secrecy and seal the church's doors. Each cardinal votes by secret ballot. During this process, the cardinal says a prayer and then drops his ballot in a large chalice, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
If one candidate does not receive a two-thirds majority vote, another election is held. This process is repeated until one candidate has received the necessary votes.
Black smoke plumes from the Sistine Chapel chimney when one candidate has not received the necessary majority votes, as was seen on Wednesday night. White smoke, on the other hand, is used to indicate when a candidate has received the necessary votes and will be announced as the new pope.