No doubt most Australians are familiar with the dreaded flapping sound just before a nasty peck on the head as they unwittingly walk past a magpie nest.
As of Monday, more than 980 magpie attacks have been reported to Magpie Alert in 2024, as well as more than 100 injuries.
With hunting season now underway, Bird Life Australia’s national public affairs manager Sean Dooley revealed he had been hunted many times despite being a bird expert.
“I go birding a lot in the spring. I probably went 20 years without being attacked once, but four or five years ago I got attacked a couple of times. It happens to any of us,” Dooley said.
She said being attacked “was really scary at times” and “can result in some terrible injuries” – however, understanding magpie behaviour is a great first step to avoiding being attacked.
“It’s very easy to think that these birds have gone mad and hate everyone, but we know from all the research that in almost 100 per cent of cases it’s only the male magpies that do the swooping,” he said.
‘Even then, only about 10 percent take the plunge… and only then, when there are chicks in the nest.’
Dooley said negative experiences with people shaped the magpies’ perceptions, and that the birds can remember up to 30 faces in their neighbourhood and “stereotype” people.
Alarming figures have revealed that as of Monday, more than 980 magpie attacks have been reported to Magpie Alert in 2024
“(This can) have knock-on effects for other people in the area… magpies will start attacking people who look like you,” he said.
Magpies will only swoop down within 100 metres of their nest, and Mr Dooley advises people to move “quickly and calmly out of the danger zone”, stressing that “there is no need to panic”.
Dooley said many of the injuries reported from magpie attacks were due to people’s reactions, who crashed their bikes in a panic.
“Just calmly walk out of that attack zone… and the attack will stop,” he advised.
‘Go back the way you came until you can be sure you’re out of the attack zone. If people know they’re just defending their nest, they know the magpie won’t keep chasing them.
“The worst thing you can do is panic, run, scream and try to retaliate.”
Sean Dooley (pictured), national public affairs manager for Bird Life Australia, advised people to stay away from magpies during the strike zone and urged people not to panic.
Mr Dooley said other measures such as eyes or spikes on the back of the helmet could “work sometimes” but were “really hit and miss, pardon the pun”.
“It can help, but it’s not foolproof,” he said.
‘If you do get hit by a car, it will help to have, for example, sunglasses or something you can put on to protect your eyes, just in case.
“The best advice is that once you’ve been caught, see where the magpie has gone… keep an eye on it. It may be less likely to come back because it knows you’re watching it… it’s easier to avoid it if you see it coming rather than sneaking up on it.”
Despite more than 980 attacks recorded this year, the number of weekly attacks compared to the six-year average has decreased by 87 percent, according to Magpie Alert.
“We’re not at peak magpie numbers and we can’t compare to this time last year, but it certainly doesn’t seem to be as high as the last two years,” Dooley said.
Despite the number of attacks this year, the number of weekly attacks compared to the six-year average has decreased by 87 percent (pictured: a magpie attacking a cyclist)
“It may be the weather, and we can’t confirm that yet, but it’s been a slightly warmer winter in many areas.”
Mr Dooley also said there had been a spike in reports of burglaries in 2021, which could have been due to the pandemic.
“In fact, it may simply be because of the lockdown, people went out and were in their neighbourhoods much more than usual… (That is) returning to normality now,” he said.