Staying safe. Wear a broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses or shelter under an umbrella to protect your face from swooping magpies (painting or sticking large 'eyes' on the back of your hat can also deter magpies—but this won't work for cyclists).
Although they may not be enraged by certain colours, magpies that swoop tend to target specific types of people. For instance, some magpies will only swoop cyclists, while others will target pedestrians. A small percentage will indiscriminately attack anyone.
When magpies are permanently ensconced on human property, they are also far less likely to swoop the people who live there. Over 80% of all successfully breeding magpies live near human houses, which means the vast majority of people, in fact, never get swooped.
Australian Magpies are strongly territorial and defend their territories both from other magpies as well as potential predators. Unfortunately, some individual magpies perceive humans as a potential threat and accordingly, swoop down with a fast warning flight, occasionally making contact.
If a magpie tries to swoop you, bend your elbow and bring your forearm close to your head to protect your face. Once your eyes are covered, look down and walk away calmly. Cyclists should also dismount their bikes and proceed on foot through a magpie's attack zone.
When magpies swoop, they beat their wings, clack their beaks and occasionally peck or scratch. Accidents can occur because people, particularly children, panic. Remember, magpies are simply trying to protect their territory. Stay calm, protect your face and walk away quickly.
In fact, not all magpies swoop – thankfully! The ones that do are just using their body language – beak clapping, whooshing above your head and screeching – to warn other birds, animals and humans to keep away from their eggs or newly-hatched chicks.
Make eye contact with the magpie.
Magpies usually swoop from behind, so they are much less likely to swoop if they are being watched directly. As you walk away, try to maintain eye contact by looking over your shoulder as often as you can.
Use Decoys And Reflective Objects
There's one thing magpies are really scared of – flashing lights. You can keep magpies at bay by placing any reflective object in your yard.
“Only 10 per cent of the male magpies actually swoop people and the research suggests it is actually a learned behaviour,” Dooley says. “These birds might have had a bad experience with humans in the past, and they remember that and swoop when humans come near their nest.”
In a series of experiments, British scientists debunked the common myth that magpies are inveterate trinket thieves. They found that far from being attracted to shiny objects, the black and white birds tended to avoid them.
Magpies can swoop from July through to December (usually for about 8 weeks) during the spring while they build nests, lay and protect eggs and raise nestling and fledgling birds. Not all magpies will swoop but some will as a natural instinct to protect their territory (area around their nest) and their young.
As mentioned, magpie swooping season occurs during a magpie's mating period, which tends to fall between August and October each year. While it can seem like it drags on forever when you're dreading your commute and trying your best to avoid feathered projectiles, a magpie will usually only swoop for around six weeks.
Australian magpies breed from late July to December, which means that swooping season stretches across half the year. But it peaks when magpie chicks hatch in September and early October. “Despite all the hysteria around psycho magpies, it is just the male defending the chicks in the nest …
Therefore, magpies have a responsibility, no, a duty, to swoop. Only male magpies swoop and only about 10 per cent of them actually swoop people. They only do so for around six weeks when their partner is sitting on the nest or raising her chicks until they are big enough to leave the nest and fend for themselves.
Taking a piece of mince or taking a wide berth around the magpies nest may eventually convince the nervous magpie that he does not need to deter this individual anymore because she or he poses little or no risk, and who knows, may even become a friend in future.
However, as the well-known rhyme shows, it is generally only seeing a lone magpie that is supposed to bring bad luck. We're not entirely sure why this is but we do know that magpies often mate for life so seeing a single magpie may mean it has lost its mate and therefore the chance of it bringing bad luck is higher.
This is normal defensive behaviour as the bird is trying to protect their eggs or newly hatched young in their nest. It usually lasts about six weeks.
Protecting your pets from Magpie swooping
To protect your pets as much as possible: Make sure dogs are on-leash when walking through a Magpie's territory. Be aware of the areas that have Magpies swooping and avoid them if possible. You can check a map of reported swoopings here.
While they don't swoop as often, they will often swoop from the front. "There's been instances of people getting eye-gouged from the claws of a magpie lark," Birdlife Australia's Sean Dooley told 9News.com.au.
Natural predators of magpies include various species of monitor lizard and the barking owl. Birds are often killed on roads or electrocuted by powerlines, or poisoned after killing and eating house sparrows or mice, rats or rabbits targeted with baiting. The Australian raven may take nestlings left unattended.
Walk quickly and carefully away from the area and avoid walking there when Magpies are nesting. Make a temporary sign to warn other people. Your Magpie is less likely to swoop if you look at it. Try to keep an eye on the Magpie, at the same time walking carefully away.
People are told that he/she should salute or wave at a magpie to show respect. Some also believe that greeting the bird also helps to fend off bad luck. The superstitions are considered so serious that some people wink when they see a single magpie to believe that they saw two magpies.