The Australian magpie is one of the most loved and admired wild animals in our country. The presence of magpies is a positive aspect of living in most parts of Australia. After all, people and magpies live together, especially in the artificial surroundings such as the green and sprawling suburbs - a perfect environment for the magpie’s needs.
There is no doubt that the magpie is a familiar and popular bird in Australia. People are attracted to their friendliness (except for some magpies during breeding season) Their distinctive black and white colouring is a gift from mother nature which sets them apart from all other birds in this country.
Another splendid trait of the Australian magpie is their song. The bird’s vocal abilities are surely the most marvellous natural sounds produced on planet earth.
The carol- that early morning “Quardle ardle oodle” or” waddle giggle gargle” are one of the most complex of songs of any bird. Their song is unquestionably one of the best loved sounds of Australia.
There has been some valuable research undertaken of the Australian magpie . Particularly, the intricate and subtle aspects of their behaviour. But, further research is necessary to further understand why magpies dive-bomb and attack cyclists and mail delivers.
Darryl Jones, senior lecturer in Ecology, who all so holds a masters degree in wildlife management and a PhD in behavioural ecology, published “Magpie Alert” which contains invaluable information on The Australian Magpie. It is a must read for all persons interested in learning to live with magpies and understanding why magpies have adapted so successfully to life in the suburbs. It also covers other topics such as assessing management strategies for minimizing the risk of magpie attacks. Here are some important points that Darryl Jones highlights in his book about the aggressive suburban magpie:
Australian magpie swooping
a Australian Post employee.
More Facts about Magpies can be read below from the book "Magpie Alert"
The Australian magpie is extremely territorial, defending its patch year-round against other magpies. It is also adept at repelling potential predators and other intruders, and does so especially when there are chicks in the nest.
Having moved into the suburban environment, magpies quickly habituated to the large numbers of humans moving through their territories, They also learned that people provided a variety of foods and this they boldly exploited.
Magpies are highly intelligent animals, with the capacity to learn quickly and to remember individual humans, especially those that they see regularly. They are also easily provoked by behaviour they perceive to be threatening, especially if this is directed towards their chicks. Therefore, harassment during the breeding season may lead some magpies to attempt to expel an intruder from the vicinity of the nest. This is especially likely for people on foot.
Magpies vary enormously in the intensity of their defensive behaviour and this may relate to both hormonal levels and previous experience. Stress, especially from interacting with large numbers of human intruders, is also likely to be an important aspect of this differing temperament. Therefore, a male magpie that has been harassed in the past, having naturally high levels of testosterone, and living close to a primary school would be more likely (but not definitely) to be aggressive than one with a different history.
Finally, some magpies have taken an extreme dislike to regular, mobile intruders such as cyclists and posties. This does not seem related simply to brood defence, and may best be explained in terms of a learned response to a regular stimulus with positive feedback.
Here are some of the most commonly asked question from the public to Nigel Williamson in relation to his involvement in relocating aggressive magpies from injuring people or workers such as the postman.
Question:
How long have you been relocating magpies from injuring people?
NW Answer:
25 years
Question:
Where do you relocate the magpies?
NW Answer:
100 km away from their original environment in order that they do not return and dive-bomb on the next person passing their claimed territorial area.
Question?
By taking away the dominant bird from it’s claimed area, are you affecting its breeding cycle?
NW Answer:
NO, because when you take away the male within a very short time the bachelor birds outside of the territory will make a claim on the female and chicks and will look after the young better than the original male (page 124 Magpie alert)
Question?
What techniques do you use to trap the birds?
NW Answer:
A decoy male magpie is placed in a cage, a trap is set and l play music to them.
Question? Are there any other methods used to stop aggressive magpies from attacking people?
NW Answer: Translocation is the only guarantee method to stop attacks. Over time with feeding the birds there has been some good results, but very limited.
Question? Do you like having to removing magpies?
NW Answer:
No l wish there was another way of dealing with this problem and we only deal with the birds that are causing a Health and Safety issue.
Question?
Why do magpies attack in the first place?
NW Answer:
l believe the magpies that attack are birds that have been interfered with in the past by humans.
Question? Do all magpies attack?
NW Answer:
No l estimate less than 5% of birds are swoopers, if all magpies attack nobody would be able to walk the streets of Australia in breeding season
Question? What can you do to stop the attacking?
NW Answer:
Firstly leave the area and don’t return. Secondly, you can carry an umbralla, wear sunglasses but the best method is to point your hand at the bird and look at him at all times, This l will guarantee, will stop you from being hit by a swooping magpie. I have been using this method for 25 years and have never been hit with my arm pointing at the bird
