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.
Magpies are not the only bird that swoops in Australia: peewees, butcher birds and plovers do too, although Dooley says given magpies are more common, the number of incidents is higher.
The Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) is a black and white passerine bird native to Australia, New Zealand and southern New Guinea.
Or so says Wikipedia, which also claims that the Australian swooping magpie is also a native to southern New Guinea and has been introduced into New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, and Fiji, where people are also attacked.
They have excellent recall for faces and very long memories. So, if you've been swooped before, or even if you just look like someone they swooped last year, you're likely to get the same treatment again.
Don't fight back if a magpie swoops. Throwing sticks and stones or yelling at a magpie are likely to make it more aggressive next time anyone enters the defence zone around their nest. Never approach a young magpie.
Young magpies will often move in groups of up to 50 birds called 'tribes', but the Macquarie Dictionary also lists the collective noun for magpies as "tidings".
The months following fledging are a dangerous time for young magpies, with a high percentage failing to make it through the first year. If the young birds survive to breed, their average life expectancy is around three years. Some live much longer than this, with the oldest recorded being more than 21 years old.
Myth 2: Magpies target certain colours
None of the research about magpies to date has found that magpies target specific colours, such as orange, yellow or purple. Instead, it is widely believed that they swoop purely to protect their young.
Magpies sing to reinforce their claim on their territory, mostly at dawn and dusk. Image: Michelle Hall. But while we are all familiar with the magpie's melodious carolling, we are perhaps less familiar with their other calls. Magpies use many different calls, including grunting noises, to communicate.
Magpies are 'like dogs'
"They will form very long friendships, like dogs," she said. "They will introduce their young [to you] and they will be the most charming birds. "Even during the breeding season you can come close to them because they know you'll do no harm."
While it is not technically illegal to feed native birds in Australia and you are unlikely to be issued with a hefty fine, wildlife experts strongly discourage bird feeding.
According to all the info, magpies will follow us and find out where we live, no matter what route we take home. Also, they can remember a face for up t five years… Basically, you're going to have a stalker for five years, waiting to swoop you once swooping season comes 'round.
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.
Magpies are able to recognize themselves in a mirror – a testament to how self-aware they are. These birds are able to recognize up to 30 different human faces and can mimic human speech, earning the title of one of the smartest birds in the world!
Magpies feel grief and even hold funeral-type gatherings for their fallen friends and lay grass “wreaths” beside their bodies, an animal behaviour expert has claimed. Dr Bekoff, of the University of Colorado, said these rituals prove that magpies, usually seen as an aggressive predator, also have a compassionate side.
Magpies love:
Open woodlands with tall trees but no understory. Big, old trees which give them somewhere safe to build their nests and sleep at night.
“Both magpies and pigeons average 10 hours of sleep per night. We found that magpies lost more NREM sleep under white light than amber light. By comparison, pigeons lost around four hours of sleep under both white and amber light,” Dr Lesku said.
Garru is the Wiradjuri word for Magpie. Garru is a very important budyaan (bird) in our country.
Harmony Insectivore Mix is a safe and healthy way to attract wild insectivorous birds such as kookaburras, magpies, sparrows and swallows to your backyard. This Insectivore Mix provides wild birds with a rich and balanced source of quality protein along with essential vitamins and minerals.
The common magpie is one of the most intelligent birds—and one of the most intelligent animals to exist. Their brain-to-body-mass ratio is outmatched only by that of humans and equals that of aquatic mammals and great apes.
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.
Magpies swoop to protect their territory when they feel their nests are threatened during nesting season, but this action can result in skin and eye injuries. Though it is rare for a magpie to actually make contact, a swooping magpie can cause bicycles accidents, resulting in injury to yourself or others.
The birds usually go back to the same spot every year to nest and they remember a face - so if you've been swooped by magpies in your local area before, or look like someone who has, they could be holding a grudge.