(Credit: Getty)
If you’ve ever been swooped by a magpie, you might find this next part hard to believe.
It turns out that magpies can be friends with people – and not just when they want food.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Magpies remember faces and decide quickly if you’re safe or a threat
- Stay calm and move slowly. Sudden movements can trigger defensive behaviour
- Let them see your face often to build familiarity over time
- A bird bath can help attract them and build trust naturally
- Offer occasional treats (like unsalted nuts), but don’t rely on feeding
- Swooping isn’t personal. It’s a protective behaviour during the breeding season
Look at viral Molly the magpie, for example, who befriended Peggy the staffy after her owners rescued her as a chick. Here’s how to make friends with a magpie, and hopefully have a life-long buddy:
Can magpies be friends with people?
Magpies can remember faces
As Gisela Kaplan, Professor of Animal Behaviour, University of New England, writes in an article published in The Conversation, “A key reason why friendships with magpies are possible is that we now know that magpies are able to recognise and remember individual human faces for many years.
“They can learn which nearby humans do not constitute a risk. They will remember someone who was good to them; equally, they remember negative encounters.”
This was the case for a magpie named Penguin, who made headlines in 2016 after forming an unlikely friendship with a Sydney family.
How do you know if a magpie likes you?
If you have magpies around your home or neighbourhood that you would like to befriend, the first step is to let them see your face from a distance and try to make eye contact with the bird. Gisela says you could also try to tempt them with a little magpie-friendly food to show you aren’t a threat.
If, for whatever reason, the magpie feels threatened by you, try not to run away from them fast. This will likely confirm their suspicions about you; as we know, a magpie never forgets a face.
Instead, Gisela recommends staying calm and slowly walking away from the nest. Once at a safe distance, allowing the magpie to see your face could prevent you from being attacked by the same bird in the future, as they remember faces.
Are magpies native to Australia?
Magpies are a protected native species of Australia, so it is illegal to harm them. When magpies encounter humans, their behaviour may vary. Some magpies may be more curious and interact vocally with humans, while others may remain more cautious or defensive.
If a magpie sings in the presence of humans, it might be due to a combination of factors, including territorial behaviour, vocal expression, or perhaps an attempt to communicate in their own way.
How can you tell if a magpie is male or female?
There are a few ways to differentiate male magpies from females. Males tend to be slightly larger than females and have longer, thicker bills. Male magpies also have a more distinct white patch on their backs, while females have a motley pattern of grey shades and markings on their backs.
Why do magpies swoop people?
Magpies are more likely to swoop someone during their breeding season (also known as magpie swooping season), which starts from late July to December.
So why do magpies swoop people?
“It’s worth remembering that swooping magpies (invariably males on guard duty) do not act aggressively or angrily but as nest defenders,” writes Gisela. “The strategy they choose is based on risk assessment.”
A high-risk person is basically anyone who wasn’t present when the nest was built.
“Which, unfortunately, is often the case in public places and parks,” the professor explained. “That person is then classified as a territorial intruder and thus a potential risk to its brood.
“At this point, the male guarding the brooding female is obliged to perform a warning swoop, literally asking a person to step away from the nest area.”
How magpie lovers on Reddit make friends with birds
The Reddit community has plenty to say about how to befriend a magpie. The general consensus is that patience is everything. As one user put it, befriending a magpie won’t happen overnight unless they’ve already warmed up to humans before.
Beyond that, here’s what people say actually works:
1. A bird bath is your secret weapon
A clean, fresh water source came up again and again as the single best way to get magpies to stick around.
2. Try unsalted peanuts
Mealworms are the go-to recommendation, but plenty of magpie fans swear that unsalted peanuts, walnuts and cashews are an unexpected hit.
One commenter shared a story about watching a magpie sprint across an entire footy oval for a single peanut. Just keep them as an occasional treat rather than a staple, and avoid salted varieties and Brazil nuts, which are too hard for their beaks.
4. Spend more time gardening
Magpies are opportunists and will often hover nearby when you’re digging or mowing, waiting to see what insects you uncover.
5. Talk to them
Multiple people in the thread admitted they coo and chat to their neighbourhood magpies.
As one commenter put it: “Stuff the neighbours. Talk to your birds.”
6. Don’t feed at the same time every day
This one’s worth noting. Varying feeding times helps prevent magpies from becoming too dependent on you for food, which is better for the birds in the long term.
If you are going to feed a magpie, it’s very important that the food you feed them won’t harm them. (Read our guide to feeding magpies)
What do magpies symbolise?
Depending on your culture, magpies can symbolise a variety of things.
In western cultures, you may recognise magpies as symbolising bad omens, danger and witchcraft, while in eastern cultures they symbolise the complete opposite. Good fortune, safety and happiness.
