As Spring swoops in, so do the magpies

As part of the breeding behaviour, breeds such as the Australian Magpie have been swooping the Bendigo region.

DELWP Senior Wildlife Officer Suriya Vij said residents have been reporting locations where swooping occurs.

She said the best response is to try to protect your head and eyes and move quickly through the area. 

“Being swooped by a territorial bird is no fun, but this is just normal bird behaviour and, if possible, the best response is to keep away from the area,” Ms Vij said.

“As the weather starts to warm up, birds start breeding and we want people to be aware of swooping birds.”

DELWP is encouraging people to notify others in their local area about swooping birds by using Victoria’s Magpie Map.

Ms Vij said people should remember not to harm native birds as they are protected under the Wildlife Act 1975.

“Some of the places where people are most likely to be swooped are public spaces such as parks particularly where there are tall eucalypts,” she said. 

“They are swooping to defend their eggs and young and if they perceive you to be a potential threat, they may swoop.”