When the Aussie larrikin becomes public enemy number one

MAGPIES may be quirky Aussie icons, but come swooping season, they quickly become public enemy number one.

According to The Wildlife Twins, Sophie and Bridget, these birds are highly intelligent and capable of recognising over 60 individual faces.

“We know that magpies are highly intelligent. They have great memories. They can remember over 60 individual faces,” Bridget said.

But that’s not necessarily good news for the local postie.

“If you make it less clarifying for them – like you put a helmet on – they all look the same.”

The way we respond to magpies swooping may also reinforce the behaviour.

“The magpie swoops and the postie leaves.

“Whether the postie leaves because he feels threatened or whether he’s just going about his job, the magpie sees that as winning.”

More often than not, it’s the male magpie doing the swooping.

“Out of all the magpies in Australia, only 10 per cent swoop. 99 per cent of those that swoop are male,” Bridget said.

The problem seems more noticeable in suburban areas where there are lots of people.

Life in suburban areas might be too easy for the adaptable magpie, Sophie said.

In an environment where people often feed magpies, or food is easy to come by, they don’t have to work so hard for food and have more energy to burn.

“When we give them their resources, they have a lot of spare time.

“So a lot of that spare time goes into some bullying, or some negative behaviours. So that’s what we see out and about.”

Magpies also love their families, so they are very protective.

Rather than culling them, the twins say planting native trees to improve biodiversity will attract other native birds to offer a bit of competition.

While the magpie might be “a bit of a mobster”, they have nothing on the sulphur-crested cockatoo or a kookaburra, they say.

The twins say swooping season won’t last long.

So avoid areas where they are nesting if you can, or take an umbrella for protection when you go for a walk.

And maybe be nice to them in the off-season.