Swooping magpie targets 12yo schoolboy in years-long grudge

Spring is not Louis's favourite time of year.

For the past six years, the 12-year-old from north-east Victoria has fallen foul of one particular magpie.

The bird beef started one day when Louis was swooped while riding his bike.

It escalated when he hit the bird with a broom while defending himself from an attack.

Ever since, spring for Louis is heralded by the sound of flapping wings from the same magpie that nests near his home each year.

"When I am walking to school, he will peck holes in my head," said Louis, who is still nursing cuts from a recent attack.

"I have been walking around with a stick to school, a pointy one, just trying to fend him off."

Louis often takes alternative routes to school to protect himself, but remains singled out by the bird even when travelling with mates.

He regularly tries to calm the bird down by talking to it as it swoops, but peace offerings so far have failed.

"He's a bit mean," Louis laughed.

He also suspects he might be an easy target for the bird.

"I am a redhead and I have massive mullet, so I think he just goes for me.

"They can remember faces as well, so I think that's just how he remembers me."

Feathery feuds not uncommon

Griffith University professor emeritus Darryl Jones agreed that Louis's mullet does make him an easier target because it makes him much more unique and identifiable to magpies.

Magpies can remember up to about 30 faces, and Professor Jones said the lengthy local grudge was not unusual.

He said one of his colleagues was targeted by a specific group of magpies during a research project.

"After that, those magpies attacked him, only him."

Despite the researcher moving overseas for 15 years, the magpies still remembered him when he returned.

"They have got a memory as well as still being very clever," Professor Jones said.

Feathered diplomacy

While magpies can hold a lengthy grudge, they are also open to an olive branch.

Professor Jones has helped 20 people successfully end their magpie battles with a little gentle diplomacy.

Sometimes simply leaving treats like mince or cheese can win the war and help the bird identify them as friends rather than foes.

He said while feeding birds can be controversial, it could help people like Louis avoid prolonged and dangerous attacks.

"In this case it's more than just feeding birds, it's really trying to overcome something," he said.

"So even the nastiest magpies have turned out to be nice if you feed them and treat them well."