I didn't realise Magpies attacked other birds. i have seem them charge other birds and even drag a lorikeet along by the tail,but this morning a Magpie full on attacked a turtle dove.
It honestly looked like a BOP - feathers flying everywhere. Was it just in a bad mood or do they normally do this?
thanks
I'd trust, they would do all sorts of things, after I saw two Magpies cross the road some weeks ago. One got killed by a car, the other one turned around, as if it was asking, hey mate, what happened to you? Then, when he noticed, his mate wasn't moving, he quickly started to eat him!! I think, any bird eating his best mate,would do anything! LOL
M-L
Ive heard that some birds will attack other birds when humans around. Its thought that it is out of frustration due to the inability of being able to attack us. ( because of our size) But regarding magpies they appear to not really worry about that, especially if you get to close to a nest. Ive also seen 1 take on 2 Pied Currawongs over food & win!!! No fear!!!
if your happy when your birding, flap your wings.
I see magpies attacking the brown goshawk around here. They also seem to attack the noisy minors and also willie wagtail. The magpies around here are beginning to nest so I am preparing for a attack!
yes i know they "attack" but this was standing on it and ripping it's feathers out trying to eat it - the poor thing didn't make it
i understanding the swooping and charging and having a go at BOP & pee wees etc but i really didn't know they "tried" to eat other birds
Hi myky50, me again, I just want to say it again, as I said this morning, the Magpie I saw, "ate his own friend"!!! How much more aggressive can a bird get? LOL?
In my garden , when all the birds get upset, it's either a cat, a Kookaburra , a BOP, or a "MAGPIE" !!
M-L
Yes, its a bird eat bird world if your a magpie....haha
if your happy when your birding, flap your wings.
hi Araminta i read what you said and i was surprised - i'm just saying i didn't know they did that - not a pleasant thing to watch either - i always talk to the Maggies and thought of them as gentle creatures - guess i was wrong again
last year i posted photos of a magpie attacking a wedge tailed eagle showing no fear swooping again and again plucking feathers from the back of its head finaly driving it off !
Hi myky50, keep talking to the Magpie, they are not going to eat YOU! LOL I still talk to the neighbour's dog, even if it tried to bite the postie the other day! LOL
M-L
Yes sparrow, I just read about the way the Magpies do that. They fly a strategic attack, when they are defending their territory. One magpie either side of the BOP, and when the BOP turns the head, a third magpie attacks the eagle's head from behind. Sometimes while other birds are watching, and cheering them on. (I haven't seen this ,I just read about it)
M-L
Magpies are extremely intolerant of other birds and even other Magpies. I have seen maggies have full on territory wars in the air with each other and also gang up on crows and other birds.
Araminta I was surprised to hear that a maggie ate his mate!
Cheers, Owen.
So was I Owen, first I thought, how nice of him to come back to check on his mate, but, there was no doubt about what he was doing.
M-L
Don't you mean chirrping them on, Araminta?
LMAO Woko..... , And I'm certain, the Magpies were "chirrping" the dog on from behind a tree, when it was chasing the postie down the road!!!
M-L
well my local Maggies are just lovely, but then so are the Pied Currawongs, the Pied Butcher Birds and the Catbirds, but when it all comes down to it they are wild creatures and each of them will eat a nestling if required. :'(
Sunshine Coast Queensland
^Same, Birdie. Either they are really tolerant, there's enough space and food for everyone or I'm not being observant enough.
Araminta, your sighting of Magpie Cannibalism is scary stuff. I've seen magpies mourning the death of another (surrounding the body and warbling) - not snacking on another. He must be thinking "it would be such waste if I left you here for the cats to find you - omnomnomnom"
Taz
This morning I heard a horrific screeching sound coming from my backyard, I knew it was a bird but didn't know what was wrong. I ran outside so fast thinking a cat got a bird and there was my female magpie holding down, pecking at a young magpie-lark. I ran to her, telling her to leave him alone and thankfully she let him go. If I hadn't gone out there I doubt very much the magpie-lark would have survived, even though the magpie-lark's father was dive bombing her. Out of all the magpies that visit my backyard the oldest female is the most vicious of magpies towards other birds. While she has a very gentle nature towards me, she has no tolerance for other birds or even her own offspring. She's also the only one out of her flock that will attack a fully grown raven, even the adult male magpie isn't as game as she is.
In a way I can understand why she attacked the magpie-lark because they're ALWAYS annoying her, I'm just glad the little one got away. Don't know what I would have done if she didn't let him go.
I have got some pics somewhere of adult magpies attacking their juvenile .....harsh I can tell you and I think Tassie once posted something similar by Butcherbirds with a hilarious sequence he shot in the middle of a road where they were doing it !!!
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Well, do you believe me now, when I said, I saw a Magpie eat his friend?? I saw it with my own eyes!!!(they are not gentle birds)
M-L
I've often wondered if these magpie attacks are in defense of territory or resources. (Often one & the same thing.) However, around my place, at least, the attacks seem to be random, apart from the consistent attacks on raptors.
Sunday morning I was out the front checking the weeds situation in the garden when I witnessed two Australian Magpies launch an aerial attack on two Pied Currawongs.
All hell broke loose and one of the Magpies actually brought one of the Pied Currawongs to the ground. Couldn't see what happened as they were behind a parked car.
The two Magpies flew off with one Pied Currawong sitting on the power pole looking for its mate. Found the attacked Pied Currawong hiding under the car. After 10 minutes it emerged and flew to the guttering of the neighbours house. After 20 minutes of gaining its composure it took off, battling to gain elevation, with its mate.
The Magpies are very protective, they had two young perched on a rooftop TV antenna at the time. can be a very vicious bird. A mate at work said: "That's why they are the mascot of the Collingwood Football Club!"
LOL Raven. Glad to know there are others out there who don't like Collingwood!!
Cheers, Owen.
Well the magpie-lark that was attacked in my yard the other day was actually the father not one of the youngsters as I first thought. Today however he was attacked again, and again I ran out to save him. This time it was the daughter of the oldest female magpie that had him pinned down. You would think he would learn to leave them alone instead of harassing the magpies all the time. No wonder they attack him.
Owen1, sorry to take the wind out of your sails but I am diehard Collingwood supporter! One of the reasons I follow them, they are the "Magpies". If they had named the Sydney Swans the Sydney Ravens, then I would probably be a Sydney supporter.
The Tibicen is an extremely territorial bird, and will go to great lenghts to protect it's territory! Tibicen will attack other birds particularly the other Tibicen if in their territory. Please remember yes they can be aggressive birds but they can also be pro social as my little family of five are and deem me to be a helper bird of the family. As my groups of Tibicen are a family rather then a flock!
Happy Bird watching.
Shane
I think this is your first post, isn't it shanewalls? Welcome. I wasn't sure what you meant by "helper bird of the family". Can you expand?
Hmmm lets cut this short. I live across from a church and when I first moved their, a flock of Tibicen birds mainly adults were living their. It was not long until I was feeding one of the mother birds and her three chicks and over time they grew to Juvenilles (about eight months) and two were tragically killed (by cars) the other left due to the dominance of the mother bird of the same sex.
2 and a half years later my little baby returned, however she was now 3 and a half! By this stage the church had no Tibicen their anymore. My baby (now an adult) came up to me and stalked my area for a few months and then set up nest in August. She had a clutch of 3 eggs a boy and 2 girls. They are now eight months old.
Tibicen are in pre flight at 3 weeks and on the fifth week mummy tibicen brought her three babies to my front door for me to help feed them The nest was only 20 meters from my front door. So mummy magpie had thought this out so to speak! Bearing in mind they are of superior intelligence. Nestlings are fed exclusively by the female, though the male magpie will feed his partner. The Australian Magpie is known to engage in cooperative breeding, and helper birds will assist in feeding and raising young. Now this is where I come into it. I am part of that cooperative breeding, with assisting and feeding the young. (by no means raising them) I am still deemed a helper bird by the juvenilles. I am sure they deemed me part of their special little family, I have had many years with tibicen, but I never had a family of magpies that are so pro social and want to spend so much time with you (me)! If I'm out weeding, they are too. In fact when I around the yard they won't leave the house grounds.
Happy Bird Watching. Shane.
Shane
Thanks, Shane. For your interest you might like to read through the Feeding Wild Birds thread under General.
In the last few weeks I have rescued multiple birds from magpie attack in our local park. A short-billed corella, a magpie, and today a wattle bird which they pecked to death. Im starting to wonder if this family group are becoming more agressive. Is there anything I can do?
It was very interesting to re-read such an old thread. If you look at the dates, it has been resurected twice, and is as relevant now as it was back then. I don't think there is anything you can do. There might be a lot of stress on birds if it is a small Park, and many birds have to compete for space. On my property there are still some juvenile Magpies around, but because I have enough room, They are not showing any agression towards other birds. Although smaller birds seem to duck for cover when the Magpies come down on the ground. Mostly they hang around the horse feeder or have a drink out of the water troff.
But sadly I would say, there is nothing you can do, just the way nature works. That doesn't mean you shouldn't rescue any injured bird, take it to a vet, or ring the local Wildlife Rescue Organisation for help.
Good luck, and thanks for caring.
M-L
The Magpies behave just the way Magpies always did, and always will. Just like some other birds, the Wattlebirds come to mind, they are very territorial. I got swooped not that long ago, just walking in a Park. The Magpie got me right next to my eye, and ripped my glasses off.. I didn’t even get anywhere near their young. One thing nobody should do, is feed them, that would make them even worse, and they would defend what’s theirs even more viciously.
Of course you should help any injured bird, there even is a law like “duty of care , or the neglect there of”, you have to help any injured or suffering animal. Nobody is asking you to put yourself in any kind of personal danger though.
M-L