When magpies attack | REACTION

The magpie - a bird that divides Australians. For some, they are a dive-bombing nightmares. For others, sweet backyard singers.
Nature nerd Ann Jones breaks down viral videos of these majestic creatures. There’s more to magpies than meets the eye.
Video Credits:
Dog and magpie playing: • Australian Magpie Playing
Juvenile magpies singing: • The Warblers - Juvenil...
Cycling during magpie season: • Cycling during Magpie ...
Magpie haven a crack: • Magpie haven a crack s...
Magpie helmet study: • Killer Magpie 2
Magpie defender helmet: • DazzaJay Builds: Magpi...
Amber versus the magpie: • Amber and Billo's - Am...
You won’t believe this magpie’s song: • You won't believe this...
Magpies understand other birds: www.theguardia...
Music Credits: "Abando" by The Grogans / thegrogansband
#HowDeadly #Animals #ABCScience
SUBSCRIBE: ab.co/2YFO4Go
This is an official Australian Broadcasting Corporation KZbin channel.
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Contributions may be removed if they violate ABC's Online Conditions of Use www.abc.net.au/... (Section 3).

[@ABCScience]

Hi there! Just to clarify Ann’s point at 01:56. 🦅 Swooping is not an exclusive male sport. Studies have documented the occasional attack by females, but these are rare exceptions. Most of the time, it’s a male magpie defending the nest.

[@garyclarke9685]

What does it matter male or female people like me still get attacked

[@joshnic6639]

Do Australians forget that they can kill those darn things? Those animals would be extinct here.

[@matthewcullen1298]

​@@joshnic6639 you can physically do it if you don't mind a criminal conviction and massive fines.😅

[@MrFzrk]

"Only 10% of males actually swoop." Population of them must be 400 million in my town cause every single one of them swoops all year round.

[@muizzkhan2426]

😂😂😂 So far I've seen on KZbin that magpies in USA and Australia swoop and thankfully I haven't experienced or seen a male magpie swoop on anyone here.

[@Sinsteel]

Yeah I call BS on that statistic.

[@JamesIsUrDaddy1985]

@@muizzkhan2426 maggies are not in the US, lived here for over 20 years now, not once ever seen one yet, mate

[@RazielTheUnborn]

@@JamesIsUrDaddy1985 Might not be endemic to your area then.... Animals don't live in every part of the country just because they are in the country. Bald Eagles don't have a habitat everywhere. Then there is the issue of if they have a habitat in your area even if you live in one of the states they roam in. Colorado, to southern coastal Alaska, to Central Oregon, to northern California, northern Nevada, northern Arizona, northern New Mexico, central Kansas, and Nebraska

[@JamesIsUrDaddy1985]

@@RazielTheUnborn Or we just don't have them

[@ozsumma]

I came here because I just got swooped by a big ass magpie in my backyard this morning. It’s my first time being swooped & I’m bloody traumatised mate

[@DrPeppa-ux4jn]

LMAO ARE YOU OKAY NOW

[@ozsumma]

Dr. Peppa Yes! 😂 Although I cannot go into backyard for now and also (I learned this the hard way the other night) they even attack in the dark! FML I need to water my plants before they die! 🥺

[@DrPeppa-ux4jn]

@@ozsumma i'm canadian!!! and i just found out about these today from a reddit post which asked when u think of australia, what do u think of? i though top answer would be roos and koalas but someone mentioned magpies and how they attack!! i was so curious and i found this video AHHAHA it is hilarious but also if i was ever there and this happened to me, i would definitely cry so mucH!! YOU ARE A BRAVE SOUL :)))

[@khartist]

I live in a housing commission apartment block. The person underneath me feeds magpies all day every day or every 20 minutes of everyday. I this she is feeding all the horribly dangerous hideous winged creatures no matter what they are. I end up getting attacked by magpies any time of the year. Not just breeding seasons.

[@blackoutv2890]

@@DrPeppa-ux4jn Lol last magpie season there were like over 20 in my street I couldn't even go to school id just get swooped by them but if you do come over to Australia ill give ya a tip wear a helmet with zimpy ties on it so when they go down to swoop you they wont be able to

[@darkspyro1634]

My mother is a magpie magnet. I have no clue why but Everytime we go outside with my mother there is a magpie.

[@darkspyro1634]

@Filip And His Little Brother quite

[@KaraZiasapiens]

If magpies are like other corvids, she probably became the object of positive magpie gossip, so now she has a fan club.

[@muizzkhan2426]

@@KaraZiasapiens 😂😂😭

[@dr.shuppet5452]

@@KaraZiasapiens Australian magpies are not corvids, they were just named after the color.

[@cyl742]

She did say they remember faces. They love your mother's face. Tell her try a mask or dye her hair or something. Good research test. :)

[@bauman11]

I've been swooped several times. I'll never forget this one kid in primary school, he was swooped/clawed in the face, with blood streaming down his cheeks. Luckily it didn't get his eyes.

[@shanet.hanson8250]

It was your fault. It's obvious why.

[@kenichi8238]

@@shanet.hanson8250 wtf do u mean?

[@frankhammer6795]

Both my father & I have been feeding magpies for years, several generations of them in the different places We've both lived. Once they know you're freindly, they're no drama. We had one family that used to nest in a pine tree about 1km from our house across a valley, and the moment they saw the kitchen light come on, they'd turn up for their morning feed. We used to give them mince or dogfood. Maggies very rarely swoop face on (hence the eyes on the back of the helmet trick), but there's another bird in Australia that will if you get near their young - The Spur Winged Plover, and, yes, they actually have spurs on their wings and they'll go you right to your face if you get anywhere near their chicks. That's acually accidentally easy to do as the chicks are incredibly good at hiding themselves in the grass when they percieve danger.

[@riptidegaming8876]

i give mine cheese and dog biscuits i dont give them mince. i also name like all 25 XD

[@kathryngeeslin9509]

I used to be dive bombed by blue jays. Beautiful birds, nasty tempers. Then found out they love dry cat food, especially kitten kibble. Don't know if this works with other birds.

[@mrbrakelol]

"only 10% of magpies swoop" and "it's only a couple of weeks" yeah riiiiight, can you please come to my neighbourhood and tell the magpies that? thanks

[@archangel3433]

Australians: *used to it* My first time: *aggressively fights back* DO I LOOK LIKE WALKING MEAL WORM TO YOU

[@rob-8582]

Love the magpie. That helmet with the eyes, along with a swooping, hilarious!

[@johnmackjr.2280]

WUAAAAAAAA! THE EYES DONT WORK! THE EYES DOWN WO-HA-HA-HARK!

[@dr6gun0v43]

Lol 10 percent everytime everyday I always get swooped by magpies even if I change my route

[@emmadoherty228]

Russel Bascos Lolz me too I can’t walk home from school without getting swooped as there is a soccer field near my house and school and the students keep messing with them and have made them more aggressive and they attack out of their territory

[@garyclarke9685]

Yeah 10% that's a laugh. At this time there is a magpie around every block practically & after my blood. More like 80%

[@BlutoLongneck]

I had a chick in my backyard for 2 weeks, now the little one is flying. My wife always gave them a little bit of mince for these weeks. Today the parents brought the kid around to our little backyard. This is trust from a bird.

[@Alchemetica]

If I recall correctly a group of scientists or perhaps academics in Canberra during lunchtime tried various anti swooping techniques for bike riders The cable ties definitely didn't work. After various tests they found wearing a wig was the most effective anti swoop defence. Perhaps this changed the look of the person a magpie recognized as a suitable swooping target or vice versa, some human that fed them.

[@jodieboehme]

This is just fantastic for anyone who has spent a childhood in Australia avoiding maggies!

[@hennyvanderpol5263]

Hi I just saw this and I wanted to share. We talk to them and stay away from the trees. I had magpies singing to me with their baby on a telegraph pole. They watched each other and they started to sing together. Never been attacked.

[@smoofdoof]

I feel like I’m from a different country down in Tas. We don’t have half the animals in this series. Even our magpies are chill. You okay, mainland?

[@boxeswithfoxes]

Magpies in my area of qld are chill too

[@jonathanhawk5163]

This video was my first time seeing a magpie. I am glad I saw this video first.

[@watrgrl2]

I love Ann Jones! What a fun gal!

[@elgalloazul]

How about that. I just learnt that magpies ALSO are good mimics! I just discovered this KZbin playlist, so I'll be stuck here for a little while.

[@meranger92]

A lot of birds are good mimics, just most are not popular for doing it. The lyrebird is undefeated, however people seem to forget about the mockingbird. Blackbird, Blackcap, Jay, Starling, and Jackdaw are also quite good at it.

[@JaimeBlackBird]

@@meranger92don’t forget about Ravens!

[@melaniemarinahenderson-tay3310]

I want to be reincarnated as a Magpie

[@lilleyherron1803]

Same bro same

[@melaniemarinahenderson-tay3310]

Listen to this woman & learn to love Magpies

[@Ephemeradude]

I love how she takes this near demonic schadenfreude pleasure in their dealings with Australia’s wildlife 😜

[@cptndave1]

It’s really simple. Make friends with them through the year. Talk to them look at them.

[@brettleach6565]

Arnott's BBQ shapes are essentially Maggie crack. 3 pieces to get them eating from your hand,

[@cyndykitt]

I am 53 and have never been seriously swooped, I have had one single incident where I had the initial warning pass. I stopped walking and had a quiet chat with Mr Magpie, assuring him I was a friend and whenever I passed by that spot again that spring, I was left alone. I am convinced the way some people shout, scream and carry on, it is like they want to be swooped. I love magpies.

[@westsidejoff]

theconversation.com/magpies-can-form-friendships-with-people-heres-how-83950 This is the best article I have read in regards to understanding Magpie behaviour/swooping.

[@Hoody321]

They're very smart birds, they say they can remember a lot of human faces and for years It would not surprise me if they learned you're not a bad bloke and leave you alone

[@cyndykitt]

@@Hoody321 My entire point was the intelligence of the Australian magpie and I am not any kind of bloke. But that is beside the point, they can't remember a face they have never seen. Your comment assumes I have only ever lived in one place and never traveled far from that place.

[@Hoody321]

Jeez Well i was mistaken you're not a bloke or nice. A lot of people get swooped just walking quietly, they're obviously extremely territorial when in spring. people weren't screaming and flailing their arms around until they're swooped first you know...

[@cyndykitt]

@@Hoody321 No I am not nice. Nice people go around making assumptions and being judgmental without having all the facts. Look up the etymology of nice. If you are swooped every spring, perhaps you need to look to your own character. I do not know you and not being a nice person, I will not feign to judge.

[@davidburton2294]

Cool birds I have breakfast every morning with three of them and they sing me a song!

[@briankleinschmidt3664]

I urge Aussies not to report swoopers. If I get swooped, I won't suffer alone.

[@NZBigfoot]

Hmm from NZ, and been around ALOT of magpies here the last 40 years, and the only times ive ever been dive bombed was by urban city Magpies... the ones ive run into in rural areas seem to either ignore you or fly off (we occasionally get a magpie family in our back paddock with their chicks every few years, seems our fence line trees are a generational nesting area for them). Although most of my attacks were from when i was a teenager... think i was getting some redirected aggression, id never hurt or antagonize a Magpie.. but im sure some other teens did. Used to be terrified of them, now im happy when i get to see one up close.

[@ARISUinW0NDERLAND]

Wow. I live in an area of the United States where there aren't any magpies and I'm so grateful. I had no clue they could be so aggressive. That's genuinely terrifying. Stay safe out there! Yikes!

[@Aetherzic]

I was swooped by magpies 7 times and they swoop within 50 metres. The magpie actually never hurt me. Only crows remember faces and they also transfer their memory to their children. 0:29 well its my least favourite bird after the swoops

[@meranger92]

Not only crows remember faces, that´s so dumb. The question is rather, if there is any bird not capable of that? Just because it isn´t "prooved" for every single kind of bird doesn´t mean that all which are not yet "officially investigated and proved" could be classified as "not capable". Besides that, pigeons and mockingbirds could already verify hat they indeed are capable of facial recognition, the latter are even capable to recognise single people out of a crowd even if they have only seen them 2 times in total for a few seconds before, no matter how drastically they change their clothes. That´s far better than most humans would score.

[@odettepross2435]

Uneducated !

[@JaimeBlackBird]

@@meranger92100%!

[@michaelhalmy3347]

I used to cycle a lot around Maitland. The earliest magpie swoop/attack was on 7 July and the latest on 12 November. A very long season.

[@garyclarke9685]

I believe you. For me it is from mid August to mid Nov & that is too bloody long,3 months too bloody long. I hate them so much that I refuse to feed them throughout the rest of the year.

[@captainchungus7591]

The only thing more Aussie than a barby is a magpie.

[@sandata]

grew up terrified of magpies because a kid a few years younger than us at our school got swooped and had to go in for stitches 😭😭

[@michaelhoffmann2891]

Anecdotal data: been swooped walking, riding bike - but never on horseback! Even when they're in swooping mode. Something about the huge animal where they go "Ima take on a puny human, but that giant thing? No wai!"

[@Gyandhi-mx3tw]

Magpie swooping app Why does she say that so casually and why is this so funny AHAHHAHHHA I NEVER KNEW I NEVER KNEW THIS WAS A THING

[@kiara.5724]

If your new to Australia walking in groups also helps. Two people walking down the street they wont swoop. Also magpies will make their own home in your own trees so theres no escaping them. You cant avoid them at all. Nothing really helps but if you swing a stick above your head that also helps well does for me or just start feeding them they will remember not only your face but your scent and will not swoop you as your not an enemy your a food source now :)

[@DeidreL9]

Well written, thank you! What do you feed them, I’d have no idea where to start.

[@kiara.5724]

I usually wait until it Rains so I could collect worms for them or I'd give them snails but the ones I feed prefer worms or just bird seeds.

[@reboundish]

Love her smile laughter& attitude

[@T24Anthony11]

Being swooped is one of the scared experiences ever

[@garyclarke9685]

You can say that again

[@oneeyedphotographer]

There's a couple up the road who feed them mince. It might not be the best food, but I don't think it's likely enough to harm them. And it makes both maggies and people happy. I don't think they're likely to be swooped.

[@annon9814]

@Wildwood Dryad How did you feed them?

[@janetsaggus7408]

Magpies can actually hear worms 🪱 in the ground... that's why they peck in the ground every so often ..

[@janeanderson2068]

I have a magpie on my bike route that swoops all year round. An easy day will see you get swooped 4 times. A bad day - 11 times. They can also keep up with you at 35km/hr. sigh.

[@cutesta0079]

If you have some fresh mince - no preservatives - take portion to the park preferably before the nesting season just to show your not a threat to him or others ( Sort of like a peace offering :) if you occasionally do this you will gain their trust enough to pass through their domain without the fuss - You might even bonus seeing the little ones when they start roaming around out of the nest, they are so cute. Good luck I hope you gain a truce and have stress free bike ride. :)

[@jccusell]

This kid is hillarious and very charismatic. He's going places

[@Camp6e11]

As someone from England this is really surprising to me, magpies just keep their distance here.

[@gromester1092]

That’s because the English magpies sent the unruly magpies to Australia.

[@Camp6e11]

@@gromester1092 Quality 😂

[@Roger-go6jc]

When I was a kid in Canberra I got swooped at school. The maggie absolutely hammered me and I had a beaut bleeding headpuncture to the skin. But I loved the birds too much to be phobic and I just used a gum tree branch above my head in swoop season. Since then I always get to know my local maggies, stop and talk to them, yodel to them, especially if they have young with them to build trust. Occasionally a local human looks at me like I've lost my marbles, but I can walk through areas where swooping is really bad and they do not touch me.

[@miguelgarciapoujol3127]

We don't stand bully behaving birds in Mexico. We make them into soup

[@isthatrubble]

I still think I might be the only australian who's never been swooped by a magpie who lives in magpie habitat and hasn't made an effort to befriend them or scare them off. they just don't seem to care about me. miner birds, however.....

[@Eonflare55]

People think Australians are afraid of Funnel Webs, Taipans, etc. What Australians are actually afraid of:

[@JoTheSnoop]

I have seen a magpie swoop at University of Sydney a few times, only selected specific targets. I was not one of such targets.

[@rainbowios98]

Last week I was on my bike having a break and water then out of nowhere the mapie comes and swooping me then it sits on the fence and then looks at me then goes at me again. And I start to sprint on my bike

[@inessacheshire2766]

People took absolutely every inch of animals space. ☹ Give those birds some space, at least while they have chicks. Beautiful birds 😍

[@bonnieblze]

Came here today 8/10/21 bc I read a story about a 5 month old that died in Sydney Australia bc a magpie swooped them and Mum fell with the baby. The injury was enough to kill the bub. Super sad way to lose a child. Mum will never be okay.

[@janmeyer3129]

It was the mum who killed the baby by falling on it. It was her reaction to the magpie that did it

[@JaimeBlackBird]

Love this! Love birds! Interspecies communication is not unique to Magpies (or to birds in general): The wonderful crows in my neighborhood sound the alarm when there’s a hawk nearby and my small flock of hens immediately run for cover!

[@nenitaschmidt7197]

The magpie is not me , I am feeding a magpie myself knocking on my window everyday for food ,he even knows where my bedroom is and quack so loud early in the morning for food and look for me at my other terrace.

[@darriannefield9291]

All it takes is one swoop and I run screaming like I'm being chased Freddy Krueger or Jason voorhees

[@lina9535]

Now these are some magpies I would like to hang out with. I know they are in the Artamidae family and not the Corvidae family, so I can still technically say that I dislike magpies and not mean these gorgeous darlings 🥰 Then again, I might be specific. I have a beef going with Eurasian Magpies. There was this pair that lived in a tree at my grandpa's house, and each time they had chicks, I swear they did this just to spite me. They'd sit in this bush/tree-thing outside my window and make all the noise at like 3-4am. It drove me insane, and in the summer, some spring days as well, I couldn't sleep without the window open. So yeah, we had beef. They were ungrateful in my eyes. Because before I moved in with my grandpa, when I was maybe 10 or so, my niece and I had noticed that the two magpies had trouble building their nest in the tree, it was this big fir tree, so we climbed up and set a good foundation where they'd been trying to build it a few times. What was funny is that they'd chased away the pair of common wood pidgeons that had picked that tree, and made good nests, but couldn't make one themselves 🤣 So they kept building on our little foundation, we could see it from the base of the tree, and then they repaid me with the 3-4am bs. Now maybe, just maybe, theu wanted to show off their chicks to me like some proud parents, but I doubt that.

[@vforvendetta211]

When magpies attack, St. James' Park rocks.

[@CW25710]

I can’t go 100 meters past my house without a 2 magpies swooping at me I got swooped 3 times in 20 seconds Can’t wait for swooping season to end

[@sciencetroll6304]

If you make friends with them they don't swoop you. The lady maggie next door brings each new pair of chicks to meet me.

[@loftyradish6972]

I've only ever been swooped by willie wag tails XD. I think they are the only Australian animal that desperately wants us all to die, but that is incapable of killing us.

[@parksweeper]

we’re feeding the magpies outside our house to try to get them to stop swooping us

[@j-dizzle6264]

I get swooped regularly while cycling. Doesn't overly bother me... the worst ones are the ones that fly next to you and peck at the side of your helmet/glasses. Having said that, the most annoying one is on this really steep climb, where this one magpie follows me for a whole kilometre... giving himself a nice rest at every telegraph pole, before catching up and having another go. I think they just enjoy it.

[@charlesschulz8416]

Ah the male magpie do the swooping work while mum magpie home looking after the little pies just gotta luv them 😂😂

[@axeltaylor9094]

I remember once my parents at their place they couldn’t walk out the front door without getting swooped by a magpie, feeding them does work.

[@thejackyjooj3861]

"don't know if they... necessarily kill anyone" how wrong she was.

[@xxbellababyrhixx]

I'm sorry to say yes they have

[@PvtParts-px4jy]

@@xxbellababyrhixx also taken people eyes out, kill some old fella by proxy, know a guy who had his ear split by one of the demons.

[@spiralpython1989]

During swooping season, I always carry meal worms. When I see (or hear) a magpie, I grab and scatter some meal worms. I have never been swooped, even when people only a few metres away are being swooped. They learn who the meal worm distributers are; and they retain that knowledge until next season. They also tend to bring their fledging babies closer. I reckon they think they’ve me… They’re correct 🦅

[@robinalexander5772]

Every breeding season the magpies come to feed, I give them mince. End of chick season the whole family come for a couple of weeks then go. See you next year. Awesome birds

[@jacquelinekirkpatrick8028]

Feed them and they won't swoop. They will recognise you and remember you as a friend.

[@Ana-vz3uj]

They love to swoop when your on a bike, it's not a lot of fun!

[@NoSuffix]

Got swooped by a magpie once while walking my son to his elementary school. The first hand experience is quite different from the mainly funny feeling watching the videos, as it felt much more dangerous. The swooping sound of something coming down fast towards you is pretty stressful. The bird was fast, relentless and kind strangely unpredictable. Only realized then that human beings can't walk comfortably looking at the sky all the time. And for the first time I understood why soldiers or anyone would be scared of air raids even if an enemy plane simply dives down towards you from the sky like those German Stukas did in World War II.

[@PvtParts-px4jy]

Doesn't matter where I live, as soon as im riding the local MTB tracks in spring i get swooped for up to 100m super aggressively

[@jbach1738]

Wait. What??? I live in the US. I live in an area where we have a lot of magpies. American magpies, obviously. I have never heard of this "swooping season". I have lived near maggies and their nests for so many years. Never been swooped. (My cats have, but my cats were trying to kill the babies, so good maggie parents. My cats now live indoors so they don't damage the wildlife.) I have never heard of putting up signs, wearing spikes on a helmet, changing commute routes, etc, just to avoid divebombing magpies. It really is true. Australian animals are just way more dangerous. I think I'll stick with cougars, hawks, bears, and rattlesnakes, and leave the dangerous wildlife for KZbin entertainment from Australia. Holy hell. Murderous magpies. Who would have thought.

[@DazzaJay]

HAH! Nobody told me i was in an ABC Video, but there i am at 2:30 Fantastic!

[@manoftheocean6988]

Luv ur vids m8

[@paxwallacejazz]

Here in Copenhagen the Magies and the Jackdaws and Eropean Hooded Crows as well as the Seagulls all show up when I start sharing lunch with Corvids in the park or outside of a Food imbiss. But the larger Jackdaws and Magpie couples seem to like each other's company. But no swooping here and everybody bikes.

[@Sinsteel]

The guy who put a fake magpie on his helmet is going to potentially get attacked even more!

[@deemariedubois4916]

Now I love magpies. Thanks.

[@L_E_L_0_U_P]

Magpies are the worst of the yard birds, I often see them eating each other.

[@gazza116]

havent been swooped for years,we walk along if we see magpies we talk to them,yesterday i said goodday to one feeding on someones lawn and he walked along with us for while.

[@davidly8059]

“One of my favourite birds” yikes

[@xroadwalker]

Erff iz ma plunit B.rad

[@kenchristie9214]

Magpies were voted Australia's favourite bird in a recent online survey.

[@chrizzymoorey11]

You should go to the Farne islands in Northumberland Uk There you will be attacked by Terns, they have very sharp beaks and drew blood from my head! Mind it was their breading seaon - so think of it from their point of view!

[@lindaraterink6451]

I live in Europe. We have a bird that translates as magpie, but it doesn't look the same. It is black and white also, but the patern is totaly different. I have never seen them attacking bikers and we have a lot of them here. Most don't wear helmets though. We do have birds occasionaly attacking passing by people. but they are bird of prey like owls and hawks.

[@matthewcullen1298]

Just feed them before mating season They get to know you and then they stop swooping you We had a big Magpie family in our backyard. They were sweet cool bird's and very. Entertaining all year round

[@susanfarley1332]

the music on the videos is superb

[@opticnerve3]

During breeding season the male gonads double in size All that testosterone. Usually well behaved birds Mechanism of survival

[@gildamartin9971]

Thank you for this wonderful information about the magpies

[@elaineforan4751]

Magpies! Really! This makes me realise that every animal in Australia has their game face on! Why is everything so dangerous?

[@toddhellyar4167]

If you feed maggies, they will not swoop you, but will swoop everyone else. I had them bringing their baby to me every day, then return to swoop neighbourhood kids....lol

[@littlewoodimp]

I'm fortunate to be co existing happily with lots of members of the corvid family. In order of numbers: Jackdaws, Rooks, Carrion Crows, Magpies, Jays and Ravens. (I'm only short of Choughs and Hooded Crows for the full set) But our Jackdaws tend to confine themselves to arguing amongst themselves and other crows - and they're a damn sight smaller too! Noisy buggers pick through the gutters and the moss on the roof, sounds like they're using little hammers up there. Wouldn't like to be dealing with Aussie Magpies.

[@adamakaru2683]

I love this bird big time 😘😍🥰.

[@bevhowell7665]

If a magpie doesn’t recognise you in there territory in breeding season they will swoop Chat to them in of season I have magpies show me their family and sing for me. They certainly remember nasty humans

[@DigitalDuelist]

They sound a lot like turkeys in the US

[@stevewestwood4832]

They take pigeon eggs which as far as I’m concerned is a plus.

[@kenjackson5685]

1st class...thanks for sharing

[@spongemonkeysooz]

The take eyes 👀 out? Good Grief 😬

[@barraabus]

So, how do you justify that a magpie is entitled to swoop and attack whoever they see fit, and do whatever damage they can, to those who present no threat to them whatsoever?

[@potterteksmith7548]

Magpies and crows get a lot of bad PR but I find them to be amazingly clever, even had a wild magpie here who'd eat out of my hand. They do have a territorial streak in mating/nesting season but they are hardly life threatening. What about cassowaries (shudder) and spur-wing plovers?

[@bmaggs3046]

A tennis racket works well

[@rattlehead2199]

Couple of weeks?! I've got one still after me after 6 weeks

[@timficker7649]

Peanuts are a great treat as well

[@rambler1au]

this bird is different - This bird has tasted blood

[@alkaholic4848]

We have magpies in the UK, but never been swooped (i ride a bike a lot, including around magpies), or ever heard of anyone being swooped. I take it ours are a different breed. Are they less aggressive (they are definitely aggressive towards each other and other birds, maybe just less so than their Australian cousins), or are they smart enough to realise that provoking a creature 400 times your weight (with dense bones) and greater intelligence isn't a wise thing to do?

[@janmeyer3129]

Wouldn’t put money on humans being more intelligent than magpies

[@heliosphaeresonnen_wind_ki5720]

australia is SUCH A WEIRD PLACE!!!