“Every bird engaging in this behavior is trying to deter what they see as a threat from their nestlings. Magpies are doing the same but in a notably dramatic manner.”
Urban ecologist Darryl Jones emphasizes the importance of not provoking swooping birds, as their only intention is to defend their nesting area. Source: Supplied / Darryl Jones
From the shriek of the thorn-studded masked lapwing to the colonies of noisy miners, here are the lesser-known culprits of swooping and how to identify them.
Miners v mynas
“These birds are constantly hassling everything around them; it must be exhausting for other birds. Have you seen a kookaburra just sitting there while these creatures buzz like mosquitoes around them?”
Noisy miners tend to travel in groups and breed in colonies, meaning there’s always a bunch ready to protect their nests. Source: Getty / Universal Image Group
Jones said that noisy miners are the most common non-magpie bird that practices swooping. This is because they breed in colonies, and it’s the community that raises the chicks, meaning there are always miners ready and available to ward off potential threats.
Jones said that while Indian mynas are as “stroppy” as their grey counterparts, their preference for the ground means they don’t swoop.
The shrieking plover
Placing their nests on the ground means that masked lapwings are always alert to threats because the nests are “very vulnerable”.
“They never hit, they just do it to scare you.”
Swooping with intent
Butcherbirds are similar in appearance to magpies, with black hoods and a white collar.
The butcherbird is an aggressive swooper that can cause injuries, but the incidence of swooping is much rarer than magpies. Source: AAP / Mary Evans
“They’re much harder to deal with. Magpies are easy to catch, but butcherbirds are too smart for that.”
“They’re the abundant birds that have lost their fear of us.”
Are you being personally attacked by birds?
“Not only that, he was the only person who got attacked. And years later, when he went back to the same site, he got attacked again.”
