If you’ve ever tried to make friends with a magpie near your home, you’ve probably heard they remember faces. Once a magpie decides you’re not a threat, it’s likely you’ve got a friend for life. But do magpies recognise your voice too?
A clever Perth study suggests they are in fact listening to you as well, which could change the way you say hello to your local magpie.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Magpies can recognise your voice, not just your face.
- The magpies were more vigilant after hearing an unfamiliar voice.
- Magpies can talk back. They’re skilled mimics and can copy human speech.
- To befriend a magpie, use your voice and not your arms.
How scientists tested whether magpies recognise your voice
In her book, Why Do Birds Sing? ornithologist Dr Gráinne Cleary describes a study that looks at magpie memory from a different angle.
Researchers at the University of Western Australia, led by Mylène Dutour, wanted to find out if magpies could tell people apart just by listening to their voices. They studied 14 wild female magpies in Perth, each from a different family group.
But first, they needed a sentence the magpies wouldn’t have heard before. They went with “my elephant is green.” For two months before the experiment, the researchers got the magpies used to hearing the sentence.
Then, they recorded six women saying the sentence. Three of them were familiar to the magpies because they’d fed them before, while the other three were complete strangers.
To make sure only the voice mattered, everyone said the sentence in a flat, emotionless tone.
After that, the researchers played the recordings to the magpies and watched how each bird reacted.
So what happened?
The magpies were about 23 per cent more alert when they heard a stranger’s voice compared to a voice they already knew.
So they really could tell the difference, seeing the stranger as more of a threat.
According to Dr Gráinne, this 2021 study was the first time anyone had shown that a wild bird species can tell the difference between familiar and unfamiliar humans just by their voice.
So next time you see the magpie in your garden, remember it’s not just watching you; it’s listening too.
But there’s a catch
The familiar voices in the study all belonged to people who had fed the magpies before.
The researchers think the magpies learned to connect those voices with food. So maybe the birds relaxed because of the pleasant association that came with the sound, not just because they recognised the voice.
NOTE: This isn’t a sign to start feeding your local magpies. Wildlife experts say magpies are much better off finding their own food.
And yes, magpies can talk back
Magpies don’t just listen to us. Some of them talk back.
According to Professor Gisela Kaplan, author of Australian Magpie: Biology and Behaviour of an Unusual Songbird, magpies are one of Australia’s best-known mimics in the wild.
Recordings sent to Kaplan from around Australia caught magpies mimicking cats, dogs, horses, other birds, predators like the barking owl, and humans.
But from what Kaplan gathers, Magpies only mimic sounds from within their own territory. If you’re just passing through, they’ll likely ignore the sounds you make.
How to help your magpie recognise your voice
So how do you use your voice to befriend a magpie? I learned this the hard way. My daughter and I did say hello to our local magpie, but we were waving like mad at the same time. It’s been swooping her ever since. Here’s what to try instead:
- Say hello. Use a calm, quiet hello when you walk by.
- Keep it the same. Try to use the same tone of voice each time.
- Be regular. The more often your magpie hears you, the more familiar you’ll become.
- Give it space. Keep your distance during breeding season, which is usually from late winter to early summer.
- Keep your arms down. Waving or making big arm movements can look threatening.
- Skip the snacks. Let your magpie find its own food.
