The zip ties don't work: bird expert weighs in on swoop-season tactics

Most of us have either experienced or witnessed an aggressive swoop from a nesting bird. It can be traumatising – especially as you often don’t see or hear the attack coming.

It’s understandable, then, that we resort to desperate measures to protect ourselves, and often swap advice on what works best – from attaching zip ties to bike helmets to leaving out snacks to appease our feathered foes.

So, which tactics really work and which just make the problem worse? What should we do to stay safe when we’re under aerial avian attack, and what can we do to avoid getting swooped altogether?

We asked Professor Bob Doneley BVSc FANZCVS, a UQ expert in avian medicine and lifelong bird enthusiast, to set the record straight for the latest edition of UQ Mythbusters.

His advice may ruffle some feathers!

Key points:

Swoop season lasts from about late-August to late-November.
Research has shown that magpies can recognise at least 100 different people.
Don’t wave a stick or other object for defence – this just aggravates the bird.
Holding a hat, umbrella, flag or other object above your head can protect you and deflect an attack.
Keep your eyes on the bird – it is less likely to swoop if you’re looking directly at it.
Swooping birds aren’t just being vicious, they’re protecting their young.

Professor Bob Doneley BVSc FANZCVS

Professor Bob Doneley BVSc FANZCVS

Key points:

Swoop season lasts from about late-August to late-November.
Research has shown that magpies can recognise at least 100 different people.
Don’t wave a stick or other object for defence – this just aggravates the bird.
Holding a hat, umbrella, flag or other object above your head can protect you and deflect an attack.
Keep your eyes on the bird – it is less likely to swoop if you’re looking directly at it.
Swooping birds aren’t just being vicious, they’re protecting their young.

Which species of bird can swoop?

It’s certainly not just magpies that will swoop you! Noisy miners (the Australian grey native honeyeater) will give you a good go, as will pied butcherbirds and banded lapwings (often called plovers).

Why do birds swoop?

Birds will swoop to catch or pick up a food item, such as a Tawny Frogmouth catching insects in-flight. But that’s not the swooping Australians are nervous about. The swooping we want to talk about is the often-ferocious defence of a nesting site, eggs or babies that’s displayed by several species in Australian suburbia.

Are there any myths or misconceptions around bird swooping that you’re keen to put to bed?

1. Birds are vicious.

Swooping is not vicious behaviour, it’s simply normal behaviour during breeding season – albeit inappropriate behaviour in suburbia.

2. Birds like the taste of blood.

They probably do, but not necessarily yours. They’re not swooping you to obtain food – you’re too big to eat!

3. You should carry a stick or umbrella to wave at, or hit, swooping birds.

If anything, this is likely to antagonise them and escalate their attention and interest in you – after all, you just confirmed to them that you’re a predator.

4. Wearing ornaments such as cable ties on bike helmets, or an ice cream container with a face painted on it, will deter attacks.

Nope, they don’t. But wearing a shaggy wig on your bike helmet, according to one trial, often results in the bird ignoring you.

What can we all do to avoid being swooped in the first place?

Research has shown that magpies can recognise at least 100 different people and may be less likely to swoop individuals they have befriended. This is why it’s usually people passing through a park that get swooped, while the local residents live in peaceful co-existence with their feathered friends.

Don’t feed magpies or offer them water, as this will attract them to breed in your yard or nearby. While you will probably be safe, your visitors or passers-by may not be so lucky.

Magpies are notoriously the major culprits. What do you want people to know about that species?

The magpie is an iconic Australian songbird that can sing melodic tunes for up to 70 minutes at a time. They can also mimic other animals – including people! Magpies are not related to crows, currawongs, or magpie larks (pee wees); their closest relative seems to be the butcher bird.

Magpies are not ready to breed until they are 3–5 years old. They lay their eggs in a bowl-shaped nest made of sticks and lined with softer material such as grass and bark, generally high up in a tree fork, and often in an exposed position. The nests are built exclusively by females. They lay a clutch of 2-5 eggs, which hatch in 20 days. The chicks leave the nest a few weeks later and can feed themselves by the time they reach 6 months. The hen feeds the chicks while the male feeds her and protects the nest.

As with other native animals, the magpie is a protected species in most Australian states. The penalty for killing or harming a magpie can include a $10,000 fine plus a term of imprisonment.

If you know where a nest is, avoid the immediate area – a 50-metre radius should be enough. Ask the council to place warning signs nearby. Removing the nest is of little benefit, as the birds will simply build another. Occasionally, the council will have to re-locate particularly aggressive birds. But, unless the bird is released more than 25 kilometres away, it will probably find its way back.

Which species of bird can swoop?

It’s certainly not just magpies that will swoop you! Noisy miners (the Australian grey native honeyeater) will give you a good go, as will pied butcherbirds and banded lapwings (often called plovers).

Why do birds swoop?

Birds will swoop to catch or pick up a food item, such as a Tawny Frogmouth catching insects in-flight. But that’s not the swooping Australians are nervous about. The swooping we want to talk about is the often-ferocious defence of a nesting site, eggs or babies that’s displayed by several species in Australian suburbia.

Are there any myths or misconceptions around bird swooping that you’re keen to put to bed?

1. Birds are vicious.

Swooping is not vicious behaviour, it’s simply normal behaviour during breeding season – albeit inappropriate behaviour in suburbia.

2. Birds like the taste of blood.

They probably do, but not necessarily yours. They’re not swooping you to obtain food – you’re too big to eat!

3. You should carry a stick or umbrella to wave at, or hit, swooping birds.

If anything, this is likely to antagonise them and escalate their attention and interest in you – after all, you just confirmed to them that you’re a predator.

4. Wearing ornaments such as cable ties on bike helmets, or an ice cream container with a face painted on it, will deter attacks.

Nope, they don’t. But wearing a shaggy wig on your bike helmet, according to one trial, often results in the bird ignoring you.

What can we all do to avoid being swooped in the first place?

Research has shown that magpies can recognise at least 100 different people and may be less likely to swoop individuals they have befriended. This is why it’s usually people passing through a park that get swooped, while the local residents live in peaceful co-existence with their feathered friends.

Don’t feed magpies or offer them water, as this will attract them to breed in your yard or nearby. While you will probably be safe, your visitors or passersby may not be so lucky.

Magpies are notoriously the primary culprits. What do you want people to know about that species?

The magpie is an iconic Australian songbird that can sing melodic tunes for up to 70 minutes at a time. They can also mimic other animals – including people! Magpies are not related to crows, currawongs, or magpie larks (pee wees); their closest relative seems to be the butcher bird.

Magpies are not ready to breed until they are 3–5 years old. They lay their eggs in a bowl-shaped nest made of sticks and lined with softer material such as grass and bark, generally high up in a tree fork, and often in an exposed position. The nests are built exclusively by females. They lay a clutch of 2-5 eggs, which hatch in 20 days. The chicks leave the nest a few weeks later and can feed themselves by the time they reach 6 months. The hen feeds the chicks while the male feeds her and protects the nest.

As with other native animals, the magpie is a protected species in most Australian states. The penalty for killing or harming a magpie can include a $10,000 fine plus a term of imprisonment.

If you know where a nest is, avoid the immediate area – a 50-metre radius should be enough. Ask the council to place warning signs nearby. Removing the nest is of little benefit, as the birds will simply build another. Occasionally, the council will have to re-locate particularly aggressive birds. But, unless the bird is released more than 25 kilometres away, it will probably find its way back.

What should we do when we get swooped? What’s the best way to stay safe?

Walk in groups – larger numbers of people may deter the bird from swooping.

Wear a broad brimmed hat to prevent the bird scratching or biting at your face and neck. Also wear sunglasses for eye protection.

As the magpie prefers to swoop at the highest object, attaching a flag on a long pole to your bike or holding an open umbrella may focus the bird’s attention well above you. Dismounting from your bike and pushing it will lower your head and make it a less obvious target.

If you are being swooped, walk quickly – don’t run – away from the bird. Keep your eyes on the bird as it’s less likely to swoop if you’re looking directly at it.

What should we NOT do?

Don’t run away, don’t scream, don’t wave your arms or sticks in the air – that may well invite another attack.

Never pick up a young magpie until you are sure it needs help, and the parents are nowhere to be seen.

Don’t attack the birds or try to destroy their nest – this will escalate their behaviour.

Don’t allow small children to play in the park unsupervised during those spring breeding-season months.