Andrew Garrett is a regular cyclist on the streets of Canberra but exercise and fresh air aren’t the only thing he encounters on his rides.
“When my cycling overlaps with the ‘maggie’ breeding season, I get swooped. Sometimes a lot!” Mr Garrett told ABC.
The Woden Valley local has been capturing amazing aerial shoot of the swooping birds by attaching a camera to his bike helmet.
Despite the close encounters, Mr Garrett has come out of his feathered interactions relatively unscathed.
“Only a couple of times I’ve had bad encounters with overzealous maggies; nicked ears on one occasion, and claws drawing blood from my back another time. Otherwise the bike helmet takes most of the punishment, which doesn’t worry me too much.”
“Generally speaking, though, the majority of maggies I’ve crossed paths with in late winter or early spring adopt more of a token, ‘nothing to see here pal, keep moving!’ type of swoop.”
Like or loathe our black-and-white friends, magpie season is upon us. Here’s what you need to know.
What months do magpies swoop?
Between July to November each year, magpies build their nests and raise their young in a limited area known as a territory.
When there are eggs or young in the nest, the males defend their territory from intruders. Some birds do this by swooping which occurs for around six weeks after which the chicks are mature.
Why do magpies swoop?
If you’ve had a maggie snap at you recently, don’t take it personally – they’re just trying to protect their young.
Male Australian magpies will swoop while their partners are protecting eggs and babies in the nest.
Only about 10 per cent of male magpies swoop.
Historically, magpies targeted animals like snakes, goannas and cats as they were seen as the biggest threat.
But as they’ve moved into busier, more suburban areas they’ve added humans to the list of potential threats.
“What often happens is that they’re in very high traffic areas like a school yard or a busy park and there’s no way the magpies can remember all those people,” urban ecologist Professor Jones says.
“In those cases they swoop pretty indiscriminately, they’ll go for everybody cause they can’t pick individuals apart.”
This means they can also go for your leashed pup or house cat if the bird interprets them as a danger to their chicks.
“In the mind of a magpie that’s sensible because they are credible threats to the chicks. That is when it makes sense, it doesn’t make sense with humans,” Prof. Jones says.
Can magpies remember human faces?
Amazingly enough, yes!
Magpies are really smart and have excellent memories. Studies show that they can remember more than 30 human faces.
They’re also highly territorial and can stay is the same nesting spot for years and years.
Which, according to Prof. Jones, is the perfect recipe to make a bird with a grudge.
“It’s actually happened to one of my research assistants. He was in research and he got known by the magpie and got swooped, frequently,” Prof. Jones details in his book Curlews on Vulture Street: Cities, Birds, People and Me.
“He went away for years, and those magpies hadn’t swooped anyone since. He came back and thought, ‘there’s no way he could remember me!’ and got whacked straight away.”
Why do magpies swoop cyclists?
Magpie Alert is a crowd sourced information site, keeping track of magpie attacks all around the country.
There have multiple reports of cyclists being attacked and injured (mostly reports of bloody ears) on the website in the last month.
Magpies are more likely to go for cyclists because they are a fast-moving target, and thus considered more of a threat.
So the best shot for a cyclists to avoid an attack is by slowing down.
“If you’re a cyclist, if you stop riding and you get off your bike and walk through, they will stop swooping you,” Prof. Jones says.
What’s the best way to avoid a swoop?
There are a number of ways to lessen the risk of a magpie attack. Here are a few tips from the Queensland government:
- wear a broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses or shelter under an umbrella to protect your face
- wave sticks or umbrellas in the air
- magpies will be less likely to swoop if they are watched constantly, or if people walk in a close group
- don’t fight back if a magpie swoops. Throwing sticks and stones or yelling at a magpie are likely to make it more aggressive
- never approach a young magpie. Babies that have just left the nest or have fallen out are likely to be under the watchful eye of a parent. If you pick them up or get too close the parent bird may think you are a possible predator.
Of course, as Prof. Jones says, the best way to not get swooped is just to avoid the aggressive magpie altogether.
“Simply, the best way to avoid a magpie swoop is if you know a magpie is swooping: do not go there!”
“They only swoop 100m or less around their nest so if you hear of a nest or see a report on a website just don’t go there,” Prof. Jones says.
Are magpies a protected species?
As a native animal, magpies are a protected species in Australia, which means it is illegal for members of the public to harm them.
However, in cases of magpies that have repeatedly harmed humans, councils can apply for permits to euthanase the bird.
But according to Prof. Jones, who has worked with Queensland councils on the issue of harmful magpies, moving the magpie is much better outcome than killing it.
“Translocation is an option. But because there is so many magpies, they have to have really done some damage before we consider it as an option,” Prof. Jones says.
“But it can be done successfully and they don’t come back to their original home.”
If you are concerned about a potentially harmful magpie near you, call your local council for guidance on relocation.
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