From 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 male and sometimes the female birds defend their territory from intruders. Some birds do this by swooping. Swooping occurs for around six weeks.
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.
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.
Waving sticks or umbrellas in the air or attaching a brightly coloured flag on a long pole to your bicycle can stop magpies from swooping.
If you wave your arms about or shout, the magpies will see you as a threat to the nest – and not just this year, but for up to five years to come. Walk, don't run. Avoid making eye contact with the birds. If you know of an area that has swooping magpies, put a sign up to warn passers-by.
The Magpies swoop because they feel threatened during nesting season. They can be so aggressive, they can cause skin and eye injuries from contact with their claws or beaks.
“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.”
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.
"We know that magpies remember and recognise human faces and they will remember them for years," Dr Kaplan told ABC Radio Melbourne's Sami Shah and Jacinta Parsons.
This period covers the time from when the eggs are first laid through to when their young are fledged and leave the nest. Once this has occurred, the parent magpies should stop swooping, which should be around November (at the latest).
The bird will almost always swoop at the highest part of 'you' – in this case the hat or umbrella. The other cause, particularly common in gulls, is due to birds associating people with food. This is the result of excessive hand-feeding.
'Magpies can recognise individual faces,' Dr Chaminda Ratnayake said. 'Once they identify a single person as a threat, there may be a tendency to swoop or attack them during the breeding season close to the nesting area. ' Dr Ratnayake recommends adopting a strategy of avoid, minimise damage and inform.
Statistics compiled by the community website Magpie Alert suggest that most swooping takes place between August and October. "When the fledglings are out of the nest, the nest defence activity decreases," Ratnayake says.
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.
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.
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.
For most of the year, Magpies are friendly and sociable, and may even venture into your house to beg for food. But for four to six weeks a year during August to September, the male Magpie will defend his home vigorously. For the rest of the year, people are completely safe from swooping Magpies!
Mr Dooley says the one “foolproof” way to make sure you're not swooped is by feeding magpies. “That's the way to a magpie's heart,” he said. “You don't want to give them junk food … fresh meat is the best or even dog biscuits, especially if they're soaked in a bit of water.”
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.
Like dogs, magpies seem to sense fear and may capitalise on this by pressing on with harassing any perceived threat. Occasionally, a magpie will actually strike an intruder on the head with its bill. While such strikes are rare, magpies can inflict serious injuries.
According to the Department of Environment and Science Queensland, prime swooping season occurs in the six to eight week period the birds nest between July and October. Magpies essentially swoop to protect their young, becoming more aggressive as the chicks hatch and age.
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.
Spring means that time of year when some magpies, who are protecting their young during mating season, will swoop people who come near their nests. Three years ago, a 76-year-old man riding his bike near Wollongong died when he crashed after a swooping attack.