Why magpies swoop

We just share the same habitat, and we have to try to find a way to co-exist. If you'd like some expert background on an issue or a news event, drop us a line at explainers smh. Read more explainers here. Why do magpies swoop, and how can you avoid it? Please try again later. The Sydney Morning Herald. By Stuart Layt August 11, — 9.

Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size. Why do magpies swoop? Are all magpies dangerous? Despite that, magpies have an unearned reputation as an aggressive species, Castley says.

What should you do if a magpie swoops you? Magpie swooping season has arrived. Spring is here atchoo! Country-wide cyclists reach for zip-ties, school kids arm themselves with umbrellas, and magpies look to protect their patch from any threat they can lay their beak on. Researchers of a paper published in our Emu Austral Ornithology journal studied three common hypotheses behind magpie-human attacks, particularly in suburban areas.

They sought to uncover whether the attacks were triggered by territoriality, brood-defence or magpie testosterone. The study found no support for magpie testosterone levels being correlated with aggression towards humans. But it strongly supported the idea that attacks on humans were brood-defence focused, over any association with the territory.

So, brood-defence can be identified as the cause of attacks. But is there anything we can do to stop being swooped? The dawn and dusk calls of the magpie are one of the most loved. This is probably due to the melodic nature of the calls. Research by Emma Rose Roper on the vocalisations of the Australian magpie found that "Australian magpies are involved actively in the acoustic sounds they produce. They produce solo vocalisations when they are not constrained by social and environmental factors.

Magpies improvise upon, invent and imitate new melodic material throughout their lives. Get our monthly emails for amazing animals, research insights and museum events. Magpies construct their nests in the outer branches of trees and these can be up to 15 metres about the ground and use the same nesting sites each year. Magpies can live in groups as large as 20 individuals or more. Suitable breeding sites are in short supply and once attained, a territory must be defended to prevent it from being reduced or seized by a rival group.

All individuals in a group help defend the territory from other birds, but it is usually the males that defend the nest during breeding season. Magpies can hold a territory in excess of ten years and have a lifespan of years.

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.

Only a small number of Australian Magpies behave like this, and some of these aggressive magpies will only swoop on particular people. Australian Magpies' swooping behaviour will only be a problem to humans for a couple of weeks. Wearing a hat during the period in which a bird is aggressive is one practical way of avoiding injury; another is to avoid the area for a couple of weeks.