November 22, 2019

Letter 134

The Love-Hate Relationship Between Humans and Magpies

Illustration by Leif Parsons; photos by Fir0002/Flagstaffoto, Steve Carroll/shutterstock

By Isabella Kwai

The Australia Letter is a weekly newsletter from our Australia bureau. This week’s issue is written by Isabella Kwai, a reporter with the Australia bureau.

I thought it might be safe for me and my vulnerable head to go outside. But I wasn’t sure. Swooping season for the Australian magpie might not be over yet.

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The birds, which seek refuge in the well-watered parks and scattered trees of city suburbs around the country, are an Australian favorite.

For a few months each year, beginning around August, male magpies will aggressively swoop perceived threats near nesting areas during the breeding season. I’m sorry, but that means you (and me).

The large, black-and-white birds have instilled fear in cyclists and passers-by, who have faced off with them and been left worse for wear.

One Queensland cyclist said he was stalked on his morning commute for months by the same magpie, before it forced him off his bike this month, shattering his wrist. Another man died in September after he crashed into a fence to avoid a particularly aggressive bird. In Sydney, a local council shot dead another magpie, fearing more injuries, after residents said it had terrorized the community for three years.

Despite this, the birds are beloved by Australians, and have even topped bird of the year polls.

“The most dangerous bird in Australia is also the most popular,” said Professor Darryl Jones, an urban ecologist at Griffith University who studies birds. “It’s a very strange relationship.”

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Maybe it’s about the magpie you know versus the one that attacks a stranger. Only about 10 percent of magpies engage in aggressive swooping, and the birds are highly social — intelligent enough to recognize human faces. It means you might be a frequent target. But it also means they often return, again and again, to the balconies and gardens of people who feed them, sometimes with their chicks in tow.

Typically, the swooping season for the magpie concludes in October. But this year, reports of swoops are still rolling in even now.

Websites like Magpie Alert track accounts of (unverified, crowdsourced) magpie attacks in an attempt to protect the public. So far this year: 4,015 attacks, 561 injuries. And the comments?

“This bird is psycho,” one victim wrote. “Got me again on the side of the head and bled.”

“He came at me twice,” added another. “I think my terrified screaming kept him from actually making contact.”

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The drying climate, which has already pushed magpies and other birds into the cities by making it difficult to find food, may be partially responsible. Magpies struggling with hunger might delay mating.

“It stretches out the breeding season much longer than it should,” said Professor Jones.

So how do we avoid getting swooped? Should I walk around with a bucket on my head or cable ties on my helmet, like some locals recommend?

“Just avoid that area,” Professor Jones said. “Do not go near the nest.”

Do you have an encounter with Australian birds you’d like to share? Write to us at nytaustralia@nytimes.com.

Now onto stories for the week.

Australia and the Region

About 1,500 people came to the Bachelor and Spinster Ball, in Ariah Park, Australia, last month.Matthew Abbott for The New York Times

First Comes Snapchat, Then the Bachelor and Spinster Ball: In the cities, technology has transformed social life. But in Australia’s vast rural areas, finding a mate is a bit more complicated.
A High-Tech System to Make Homes More Healthy: It’s called Darwin, and it can eliminate water and air pollution in the home, while adjusting the lighting. And it is already in homes in Australia.

Samoa Closes Schools as Measles Epidemic Kills at Least 16: Over 1,000 cases of measles have been recorded in the Pacific island country, with the casualties including a 7-month-old. “This is very much out of control,” a vaccine expert said.

Revealing Lineup an Hour Early Brings a 3-Month Suspension: An Instagram post by Emily Smith, a professional cricket player, led to the penalty.
Qantas Says It Would Back Suit by Flight Attendant Called Racist by Will.i.am: The musician posted the name and photograph of the airline employee on Twitter after a dispute on a flight in Australia.
At New Davis Cup Finals, a Quiet Reception for Some Longtime Powers: Spain, the home team, drew a great crowd to the main court, but the United States and Australia — winners of more Davis Cups than any other nations — played on much smaller, quieter stages.

Around The Times

Workers with Triton Submarines, a bubble-sub company in Florida, conducted a surface stability test on a Triton 3300/3 submarine at a facility in Fort Pierce, Fla.Scott McIntyre for The New York Times

Bubble Subs Arise, Opening Eyes to the Deep Sea: Giant plastic spheres, with walls six inches thick or more, are making the depths of the ocean, and its strange denizens, more accessible.
‘Absolutely No Mercy’: Leaked Files Expose How China Organized Mass Detentions of Muslims: More than 400 pages of internal Chinese documents provide an unprecedented inside look at the crackdown on ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region.
‘We Followed the President’s Orders’: In highly anticipated testimony, a top envoy said the operation to extract a political favor from Ukraine was done at the direction of the president, vice president and secretary of state.
What Were the Most Memorable Moments From Last Night’s Debate? For a Democratic debate that was without major fireworks, there were several memorable moments. Here are the lines that stood out.

And Over to You …

A few weeks ago we included a winning essay from Gina Song, a university student who wrote about her family’s experience with migration. Here’s one reader’s response:

“It is not acceptable but there will always be a small percentage of the world’s inhabitants that will discriminate against new comers who are different. It happens to people who are over weight, under weight, achievers & non-achievers, old or young. It happens for many reasons including jealousy, fear or just plain uneducated stupidity.

I am sad to read Jin-A’s letter and, if she has not yet met the type of Aussies who welcome New Australians like her and her family, she is more than welcome to drop in for a cup of tea and a big hug if she is ever on the Gold Coast.”

-Allan Ford