Magpies are on the attack earlier than usual this year and here's some tips to deal with them

If you've been swooped already this season in Wagga, NSW, don't take it personally because CSU ornithologist Melanie Massaro says magpies swoop to defend their nest and offspring.

"The behaviour evolved to scare other magpies away and potential predators of nestlings, such as birds of prey like falcons and hawks or possums," Ms Massaro said.

But she said magpies can also feel threatened by cyclists and runners as they move quicker through their territory.

Ms Massaro advises that the best thing to do during this breeding season is to learn where the "cranky" magpies live and avoid their territories for the time being.

But if you can't, she said you can instead try to calm them down when they attack.

"When humans yell at them or wave a stick at magpies, they get more agitated and attack the next person even more aggressively," she said.

"Magpies are smart and remember who threatened them."

Ms Massaro said a likely cause for the early start to swooping season is the weather.

"Due to recent rains there are plenty of worms and insects around for them to eat, which is likely why they began to breed early this year," she said.

She said magpies only swoop during the breeding season and do so to "defend their breeding territory from any other magpies and anything else that seem like a threat to them."

If you've ever wondered why some magpies swoop and others don't, Ms Massaro said it comes down to the bird's personality.

"Just like humans differ in their personality, so do magpies," she said.

"Usually magpies that have had good experiences with humans are less likely to swoop.

"For example, I have a nesting pair of magpies in my garden, and although I do not feed them, they have never swooped or attacked me."

While magpies get a bad reputation for swooping humans, Ms Massaro said they are not the only birds known to attack.

"Spur-winged plovers are also known for defending their nests vigorously," she said.

"They usually nest on the ground and hence feel very threatened by dogs and humans."

Ms Massaro said last year she even experienced a swooping pair of blue-faced honeyeaters.

"That was a first for me," she said.

"But because they are much smaller than magpies and plovers, they are not as scary."

If you have been attacked or experienced a near miss by a magpie this season, please let us know in the comments below.

Swooping magpies can also be reported at: https://www.magpiealert.com/

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