Swooping season has started early this year with a number of residents and visitors reporting run-ins with our feathered friends.
The main culprits are often Australian Magpies, Masked Lapwings (commonly known as plovers) and occasionally other territorial birds. While an unexpected swoop can be startling, it's important to remember these birds aren't being aggressive for the sake of it. They're simply doing what protective parents do best.
Unfortunately, there is little that Council can do to prevent native birds swooping, however there are a few things you can do to keep you and your loved ones safe.
Why do birds swoop?
Swooping is a natural defence behaviour during the breeding season. Parent birds see people, pets, cyclists and even vehicles as potential threats to their nests, eggs or chicks and will attempt to scare them away. Most swooping occurs within a relatively small area surrounding a nest and only lasts while the birds are raising their young.
For magpies and plovers, this behaviour typically occurs during spring as they protect nests and babies.
Why can't Council just move them?
The short answer is that native birds, their nests and their young are protected wildlife. Relocating birds, nests or eggs is not a simple process and, in many cases, is not permitted. Council does not generally have the authority to remove or destroy native birds simply because they are swooping.
In addition, moving birds can cause significant stress, expose eggs or chicks to danger and often doesn't solve the problem. Birds are likely to return to nesting areas or be replaced by other breeding pairs.
Instead, the most effective approach is usually to provide warning signage, share information with the community and allow the breeding season to pass naturally. The good news is that swooping behaviour is generally temporary and often only lasts for several weeks while the birds are protecting their young.
Outside the breeding season, these birds are friendly neighbours, helping to control pests in gardens and their melodic call a delightful part of life in Australia.
As magpies and plovers are protected species through NSW under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974, it is illegal to kill them, collect their eggs or harm their young.
For ways to reduce your chances of being swooped, visit NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
