TRANSCRIPT
Spring is in the air and with it comes swooping season for the infamous magpie birds.
These iconic black and white birds, native to Australia, are generally charming songbirds, but during breeding season, become fierce defenders of their nests, swooping down on any perceived threat — including an unsuspecting passersby.
Professor Dieter Hochuli is an ecologist at the University of Sydney.
“The magpies are a really distinct part of the Australian bird community. They're one of our much loved birds. You know, you might think they're jerks at this time of year because it is kind of confronting when they swoop here. It is a common thing globally, but the magpies and their swooping of people in urban environments is really distinct. It's because we share our world with them so much so now you've seen the cyclists with the cable ties through their helmets to try and stop them coming through people putting eyes on the back of their helmets to try and avoid getting swooped. It's probably right of passage, to be honest, just to walk under the big eucalyptus, or walk around the urban forests and street trees and have those animals come out.”
Magpie swooping can range from a light scare to serious injuries.
Sometimes, startled people stumble and fall, resulting in accidents.
One website, Magpie Alert, is reporting that this year to date, there have been over 2,000 swoops recorded and 264 injuries.
Associate professor Guy Castley, an ecologist from Griffith University says while the risk of injury is real, he says only around 10 to 20 per cent exhibit this behaviour.
“There's a lot of birds out there that are breeding, but not all their breeding magpies will swoop. So they are certainly some that do swoop, and that's only probably about 10, 15 per cent of birds that are likely to swoop, and generally, it's the males that are doing all the swooping, but say, the ones protecting the chicks in the nest. So it's over a relatively short period until those birds have fledged the nest, the magpies in that territory will be swooping. So it's over a relatively small period. But on the whole, the number of birds and the number of incidents is fairly small in terms of the percentage. In terms of the actual impact, it can be quite severe.”
And Professor Hochuli says Magpies do not attack everyone as they sometimes only take interest in particular people.
“It's not funny if you're the victim, but it's kind of weird to realise these birds have taken a particular exception, or they remembered an experience and a potential threat. So don't forget, it's not necessarily a real threat. It's a perceived threat that they might be facing that's getting them to sort of respond the way that they have sort of one size fits all. It's just, it's based on, I think, those animals particular experience, and that's a charismatic part of their story, but also a bit of a weird one, I reckon. “
Male magpies typically swoop for about six weeks, over September and October, when they have young in the nest or just after the young have flown the nest, this is when the chicks are most vulnerable to predators.
Magpies are territorial, and often return to the same nesting spots each year, with local councils and community groups often putting up signs and sharing maps of known swooping areas, which tend to be in urban areas where they co-exist with humans.
To a magpie, the faster you move, the greater the perceived threat, which is why cyclists, joggers and dog-walkers are common targets.
For those new to Australia, the sight of locals wearing bike helmets decorated with cable ties or drawing eyes on the backs of hats can seem strange but it is all in an effort to avoid a magpie attack.
Associate Professor Guy Castley says it is easier to avoid magpies than to stop them from swooping as they defend their territory.
“To some extent, the zip ties might work on a helmet, because as the birds get closer, they will actually strike those cable ties that are coming out of your helmets, and that may actually deter them from actually hitting you, because they've then made contact with something else. But putting sticky eyes on the back, I think, you know, the magpies are pretty smart for a bird, and they can actually recognise facial features and other kind of things. So some methods may work, but generally the best way to do it is to try and avoid where the nests are, and then don't run around, because the magpies tend to target people that are moving faster and things like that.”
Mr Castely while swooping magpies may be a pain, they are also a fascinating part of Australia’s natural environment.
He adds that with a little awareness and respect, humans and magpies can peacefully co-exist.
