Magpies are black and white birds that are considered a threat to citizens of their native country, Australia. They often become violent and can peck people at any time. In September and October of each year, a sense of camaraderie sweeps over the country, as residents watch out for one another and warn them about incoming magpies. During this “swooping season,” people update maps online that show locations of magpie nests, as well as where attacks have occurred. Radio stations all over the country are sent hundreds of the funniest, most peculiar, and most dramatic magpie swooping stories.
The magpies are considered the biggest problem amongst wildlife in Australia, and citizens have begun to develop some unique means of surviving their swooping season. Students wear ice cream buckets as hats, with drawn-on eyes, in the hopes the magpies won’t swoop if they think someone is watching them. Others carry umbrellas all the time, even when it is not raining. An ecologist who has spent over 20 years studying the relationship between humans and magpies has his own favorite method of avoiding the birds: having zip-ties poking out all around your helmet when biking, to keep the magpies away.