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Magpie swooping season: the best way to avoid being swooped

Know your swooping zones!
Lucy Lindfield (nee Francis) writer profile headshot Writer
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It’s magpie swooping season! Here are some handy tips to avoid being swooped.

WATCH: Dr Harry visits a bird sanctuary

Why do magpies swoop?

The reason we notice a “swooping season” around spring is because it marks their breeding season. Swooping, therefore, is their instinctive protective behaviour to ward off predators from their nests. According to the ACT government, magpies will swoop for a period of six to eight weeks – if at all.

It’s important to remember that as an animal native to Australia protected by the Nature Conservation Act 2014 and the Animal Welfare Act 1992, it is actually illegal to harm magpies. In fact, most of the time, magpies present no threat, play an important part in our Australian eco-system, and can be friendly!

magpie-in-tree

How to avoid being swooped

Cyclists, walkers and runners rejoice; it’s not time to lock yourself in the house for the entirety of spring just yet. Here are some of the ways you can avoid being swooped by a magpie:

  • First and foremost, know your swooping zones, and simply avoid them if you can. Sometimes they will even be signposted by council or government.
  • Walk quickly, but don’t run, as this will increase their sense of danger.
  • Protect your head with a hat, helmet or umbrella.
  • Wear glasses or sunglasses to keep your eyes safe.
  • Don’t turn your back, keep facing toward the magpie or its nest as you move away.
  • Don’t ride your bike through their territory, instead, dismount and walk.
  • Walk by in a group; magpies are more likely to target individuals.
Lucy Lindfield (nee Francis) writer profile headshot
Writer Lucy Lindfield

Lucy Lindfield has a long-standing love affair with homes that began with a childhood spent picking out the nicest house on each street from the back of her parents' 2000s Subaru. Years later, after completing both a Diploma of Interior Design at Design Centre Enmore and a Bachelor of Media at Macquarie University, she dipped her toe into PR at a bespoke firm specialising in architecture, then went on to produce social media and editorial content at a Sydney agency before settling right at home in…homes. Following a brief stint with Better Homes and Gardens, Lucy has spent several years writing under Homes To Love and managing the digital presence of Inside Out, Real Living and Country Style. It’s here that she can combine her great loves every day: design, architecture, lifestyle, homes, and, of course, words. In her free time, she finds her dream home over and over on real estate websites and spends far too long browsing Facebook Marketplace for mid-century furniture.

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