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‘Jekyll and Hyde’: how to win over the most polarizing bird in Australia
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‘Jekyll and Hyde’: how to win over the most polarizing bird in Australia

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Spring in Australia brings warmer weather, longer days and zip tires.
That is, if you are a cyclist in the hope of escaping the wrath of Eksters in the peak of the diving season. Every year the black and white birds can become a source of suburthirect, so that cyclists are wary and holding pedestrians and bringing warnings to local parks.
But professor Darryl Jones, professor Emeritus of ecology at the Griffith University of Queensland, says that the phenomenon is more predictable – and less sinister – than it seems.
“Magpies are stimulated by day length, which does not change [from year to year]”Jones told SBS News.
“They will decide when to build nests or lay eggs, depending on how long the days are.”

That means that the breeding season follows the same rhythm every year.

The Australian Makkie Alert card has already swung 2,753 this year and recorded 295 injuries. Source: Delivered / Magpie Alert!

The peak of the pushing season falls this weekend and extends to next week. That is when the maximum number of magpies nests, with eggs or chicks to protect, said Jones.

“That is why so much dives … they are men who protect their nests.”
The most important variable is not so much the birds themselves, but how many people go close to their nests. More human traffic means more chance of immersion.

The Australian Makenspie -Alert map, where public reports come across, has already swing 2,753 and recorded 295 injuries this year.

A misunderstood neighbor

Although a magpie attack can be dangerous, Jones says that Australians often misunderstand the behavior of the bird. “Only about 10 percent of the magpies attack people … and it only happens if there are babies in their nest,” he said.

And even those few birds rarely attack without warning. About 100 meters from a nest, magpies use a distinguishing call to tell people to withdraw. If they are ignored, they can fly low above your head. Only when those signals are missed do they dive.

A magpie who dives on the left shoulder from a cyclist who wears a yellow jacket and red helmet. Rear view

Magpies can go too close to their nests. Source: MONKEY

“We missed all the earlier instructions they tried to give us,” said Jones. “But we don’t get it. We don’t understand.”

Some magpies also specialize in whom they dive. “They are pedestrian stop, cyclists, swoopers or drivers of mail delivery,” he said. Helmets can make cyclists and posties more likely goals, cover up the face and make it harder for Magpies to assess them. Men are also attacked earlier.

“Only a small part of them only attacks everyone. They are those who get all the publicity. But they are stressed from their scones,” Jones said.

More than a bird

For many cultures of First Nations, magpies are far from Schurken.
In Noongar Dreamtime, Koolbardi (Magpie) is celebrated as the Bringer of the Dawn, credited to create the first sunrise through his Warble. Parrwang The magpie lifted the heavy sky that once covered the earth, using its warble (or a stick in his mouth) to push the air higher until the light flowed in.
Every morning the song of the Ekster is a memory – and a recreation – of the first dawn.
“It has been proven that the Magpie has one of the most complicated types of songs of every bird in the world,” said Jones. “There are fantastic stories about First Nations about that.”

“Their explanation was that Eksters recreate the first dawn every morning from their perspective. That is how strong and passionate they are about this bird.”

Jones studied these stories as part of his work as an ecologist. “They have many stories about magpies, but none of them was about diving,” he said. “This is a phenomenon of white in-big cities.”

A new friend?

Jones knows firsthand how deep the bond with Magpies can go. When he was 16, he raised an orphanage in the name Jimmy.
“I found him after a big, violent storm and knew he would die if I didn’t take care of him,” he said. Jones fed him minced meat and raw egg until he recovered, and although he did not want Jimmy to be completely tamed, the bird lost all the fear of people.
Jones was friends with Jimmy for six months, until a local bully shot him down. “It had a real forming effect on me. I got really depressed for a while … but that’s really where it started for me [as an ecologist]. “
The intelligence of the Magpies helps to explain both intersections and friendship. They can recognize around 30 individual human faces and remember for years.
Jones remembers an experiment in which a student was sitting near a nest and “bad thoughts thought”. After five exposure, the student became an enemy of the magpies and he was torn. Years later he returned – and was immediately attacked.

“They know all the people on their territory. They never leave the territory unless they have to. And they can live for about 20 years or so,” says Jones. “If those magpies see you regularly and get to know you, I think they would know you and trust you.”

For some, food can tap the balance.
“A controversial but thoroughly investigated technology is feeding,” says Jones. “If your local magpie dives you, you can stop them by suddenly changing your behavior. Leave some minced meat or cheese away and they will soon realize that you are good for them. Within a few days they will stop diving and start treating you like a friend.”
To really become friends with a magpie, Jones says that you should be part of that inner circle of 30 important people in their lives. But he understands why people are wary.

“There is a Jekyll and Hyde with magpies,” says Jones. “They are a great bird that seems to appreciate everyone, but they can be frightening if they have attacked you.”

What to do if you are pressed by a magpie

Googly eyes on the back of your helmet will not completely cut it.
For cyclists, the safest reaction to stop and walk is – even if that feels contraindic. Spiky zip-tie helmet attachments also work. “They look dangerous for magpies, so they stay away,” said Jones.
Other precautions are wearing a hat, wearing an umbrella or holding a stick above your head. “But don’t throw it. If you take revenge on the magpie, it only makes them more serious,” he said.
Opposite the bird and going backwards can also help and knowing the nest location you can avoid this during the few weeks of the high season.
“But don’t forget that it is just a small fraction of Eksters, only about six weeks, and only near the nest tree.”

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