Australian magpies are intelligent highly social birds and are one of Australia’s most highly-regarded songbirds. Although the Australian Magpie is generally quite tame, during the breeding season some individuals (about 10% of male magpies) become aggressive toward intruders, including humans, when they venture too close to their nesting sites. Although magpies are not actively trying to hurt anyone and are just trying to protect their young, it can still be a frightening experience.  Most parents will be aware that we are now at the beginning of magpie swooping season and know the areas to avoid.  Often however we don’t discover where these nesting hotspots are until the swoop happens, and this can be a little scary, and extremely fascinating, for little ones.   

Pamela Allen’s children’s story book “Waddle Giggle Gargle!” explains magpies’ swooping behaviours clearly and empathetically for young children.  Sometimes those who have experienced a swoop may become fearful of going for a walk or to the park.  “Waddle Giggle Gargle!” also describes how the family gets around the problem of the swooping magpie in a gentle and creative way.   

Creating a special ‘magpie warning hat’ is a great learning experience for little ones as not only do they learn about how glue works (quite tricky for littlies), provides fine motor practice, and assists them to feel a little more protected when out and about in areas where they might cross the path of a magpie.   

What you need and how they can be used:  

• Paper plates or bowls 

• String/wool/soft elastic (to enable the plate/bowel to be worn like a hat) 

• Glue – if using PVA, we recommend adding a touch of paint to make it easier for those new to gluing to know where to stick their collage material 

• Collage materials – e.g. bright coloured pieces of paper, torn pieces of alfoil, shiny card/paper, bottle top lids or patty pans (with the inside coloured with black marker can look like an eye to a magpie), short pieces of wool.   

• Pipe cleaners – bent at the base, but make it spiky.  Tape them down first with masking tape rather than sticky tape.  You can glue or paint over masking tape.  

For more information about magpies, follow this link:  https://australian.museum/learn/animals/birds/australian-magpie/ 

Magpie Alert – magpie swooping map: https://www.magpiealert.com