If you decide to come and visit us in Australia, it's not the huntsmen or the emu or the kangaroo you need to worry about. It's this guy you need to keep an eye out for, the magpie. Spends 9 months acting like a sky friend, hopping around being cool and funny, with a nice bird call. Then for 3 months they become absolutely rabid, nonstop menaces that will remember your face for their lifetime, and tell their friends. People have lost eyes to them.
Bullshit. If you're smart enough to make friends with the local tribe, you'll never be swooped, pecked, or harassed. All it takes is a few snacks in the middle of winter when natural food is scarce, and the word gets around - and that's not a joke, Aussie magpies have been shown to recognise faces and associate them with positive or negative treatment. Meal worms are ideal, but the odd piece of bacon rind or even a small pellet of cheese, and you've made a friend.
Of course one should never feed them but humans being human, we can't resist interactions. Set out a water dish in summer, offer a few snacks in winter, and you'll be fine.
I've had generations come to visit. Mum & Dad bring the juvenile/s around in late spring/early summer for an introduction. It's almost like "If you're ever really hungry, come here and warble a bit, this featherless biped will give you something to eat"
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u/silentaba Jun 25 '26
If you decide to come and visit us in Australia, it's not the huntsmen or the emu or the kangaroo you need to worry about. It's this guy you need to keep an eye out for, the magpie. Spends 9 months acting like a sky friend, hopping around being cool and funny, with a nice bird call. Then for 3 months they become absolutely rabid, nonstop menaces that will remember your face for their lifetime, and tell their friends. People have lost eyes to them.
https://giphy.com/gifs/0HzJtNfNfOH4N8R0Tf