Australian Magpie

Natural Shelter

Australian Magpies delight many people with their melodic family chorus. Magpies usually pair for life and a family can occupy a territory for over 20 years. Pairs breed in large trees and build nests in twigs, bark, and other materials found in home gardens. Keep and maintain large trees around the home as they provide suitable habitat for nesting birds.

If you’re worried about swooping magpies, consider the actual risks first.

• 90% of magpies do not swoop people and those that do a predominantly males
• Magpies recognise human faces. They quickly befriend people in the neighbourhood including home gardeners
• ‘Swopping season’ only lasts two-three weeks a year
• Swopping magpies can easily be deterred by wearing hats, helmets, or waving a stick above the head

Speak with your local government if a swooping magpie is of a particular concern or is dangerously aggressive.

Novel Shelter

Not required.

Providing natural sources of food

Home gardens provide plentiful foraging habitat for magpies. Magpies forage for food on the ground and search for prey in the undergrowth of shrubs, tall grasses, and amongst leaflitter and mulch. They have adapted well to foraging for insects and invertebrates living under lawn.

Magpie’s have a cheeky habitat of accepting food offered by well-intentioned residents. Offering backyard wildlife food is not recommended. If you must, research the best methods of providing magpies food without risking their health. Remember, mince and dog food can make them sick!

IMPORTANT: Avoid the use of poison baits to control rats around the home.

Toxins from baits are travelling up the food chain as birds feed on poisoned rodents. Overtime, the toxins build up in the birds body and result in lethargy, clumsiness, paralysis, and are ultimately fatal.

If baits are required to control a rodent problem, look for the active ingredients Warfarin or Coumatetralyl as they are much less harmful to birdlife.

Providing sources of water

Magpies prefer to live close to water and visit bird baths to drink and bathe. Frog ponds are popular amongst magpies in search of food, water, and refuge in warm or dry weather.