The cardinals are voting inside the Sistine Chapel, but the seagulls have the high ground.
As the world watches the conclave, currently underway inside the Sistine Chapel, seagulls perched atop the roof, giving them a bird’s eye view of the chimney where a plume of white or black smoke will soon tell the world if a new pope has been elected.
The livestream camera showing a fixed shot of the tile roof of the historic chapel has featured at least one seagull for most of the afternoon, and the bird appears to be watching the chimney with interest.
Occasionally the gull took flight from his vantage point, returning with what appeared to be a morsel of food in his beak. Sometimes he was joined by a fellow feathered friend for a prime spot as thousands watch the very same chimney from St Peter’s Square.
Even a baby seagull flew in for a view of the chimney, landing mere inches away from the famous smokestack.
The curious seabirds have found fans on social media, with numerous posts devoted to the strange sighting.
“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,” wrote one X user accompanying a photo of their cats attempting to bat at the birds on their TV screen.
“The most watched seagull in existence,” quipped another poster.
Smoke had yet to rise from the chimney as the sun began to set in Rome. A new pope cannot be elected until receiving a two-thirds majority — or 89 votes — out of the 133 elector cardinals participating in the conclave.
If no consensus is reached Wednesday, the College of Cardinals will pick up again Thursday at 9:30 a.m. local time, followed by a mid-morning prayer.