Living Here
Swooping birds
Noisy crows
Flying-foxes
Snakes
Possums
Itchy Grubs
Turtle nesting
Central Queensland Fox Control Project
Swooping birds
The Gladstone Region is home to a diverse variety of native bird species. When native bird species have eggs or young in their nest, a small percentage can become protective and may swoop people entering their nesting territory. Conversely, other species are opportunistic and may swoop for a regular food source or by inadvertently by attacking their own reflections. The breeding season for most swooping birds is July to November, peaking between August to October. Typically, individual birds swoop for between six and eight weeks and generally stop following the departure of their young from their nest.
The native species most commonly known to swoop include:
- Australian Magpies
- Masked Lapwing (Plover)
- Butcherbirds
- Torresian Crows
- Magpie-Lark (Peewee)
- Little Friarbird
- Noisy Miner
- Welcome Swallows
- Kookaburras
It is a serious offence to harm or interfere with native Australian birds, as they are protected under State Wildlife Legislation (Nature Conservation Act 1992). As such, it is a serious offence to harm, take, keep or move them, unless authorised under the NCA or a Damage Mitigation Permit (DMP) is obtained for a relocation to be conducted by an authorised person or local authority. Hefty fines can be imposed on anyone found to be in contravention of the Act.
Native species are protected for many reasons:
- They prey on small insects such as mosquitoes and midges
- They contribute to the agriculture and gardens in some areas as they feed on pest insects
- They contribute to and are necessary for maintaining biodiversity.
Swooping typically occurs during breeding season. Research suggests aggressive swooping occurs when the birds have had previous negative interactions with humans for example stones or sticks thrown at them, their chicks or nests.
The best way to avoid being swooped is to:
- Avoid the area by finding an alternative route by consulting the Gladstone Regional Council Swooping Birds Map or https://www.magpiealert.com/
- Protect yourself by wearing a broad brimmed hat or using an umbrella, glasses and by holding your school bag above your head
- Team up with others and walk in a group
- Dismount and walk if you are riding your bike and attach a flag on a long pole to your bike
- Do not interfere with the birds, their young or their nests
- Do not provoke the swooping bird by yelling, throwing objects or fighting back
- Report swooping birds to Council
Council manages swooping birds by providing community awareness, information, undertaking swooping bird assessments and implementing an appropriate response on Council controlled land.
Relocation and removal
When swooping birds are required to be relocated a new male typically moves in within a short period of time to protect the chicks. Therefore, relocation of an aggressive male may only be a short term solution and actually may prolong the duration of territorial behaviour.
Where an aggressive magpie is required to be relocated, the bird needs to be captured and released at least 50km away to prevent the animal from returning to its original territory.
As crows are highly intelligent, it is impractical and near impossible to trap a crow. Additionally, research shows that attempts to move crows (such as nest relocation) often increases aggression, and the pair more-often-than-not will return to their original breeding area.
Swooping bird hotspot webmap
This map is provided for the community to identify and view swooping bird locations. Council does not monitor points and information added to the map. To report a swooping bird for investigation please report online.
How to change the map to satellite imagery:
- Click the
button at the top left of the page, under the search bar. This will open the map layers. - Click the check-box/es that say “GladstoneArea2019”, “AgnesArea2018, or “Whole Region 2017” (please note; enabling satellite imagery may take longer to load the map)
How to add a swooping bird point:
- Navigate to the area which you have seen a bird swooping. You may do this by manually clicking and dragging the map, or by entering the address where the bird was seen, into the search bar at the top-left of the page.
- Click the
button at the top left of the page, under the search bar. This will open the map editing tool. - Click the
button within the tool that opens, so that it highlights blue. - Click on the map to drop a point, for where you observed a swooping bird.
- A set of brief questions will pop up as you place a point, including what happened (please include the species of bird that was swooping), and the date and time of day you saw the swooping.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I protect my children?
By ensuring your children are wearing appropriate headwear (helmets, hats, umbrella), eyewear (glasses, sunglasses) and clothing.When riding a bike it has been noticed that nuisance birds swoop less when cyclists dismount and walk through an area.Attaching cable ties to helmets can help with the birds not getting too close to the children.Supervising your children, particularly around food as this may provoke some species to swoop.Planning your journey so that areas of concerned can be avoided where possible.
What does Council do?
Following the notification of a swooping bird on public land, Council may conduct a risk based swooping bird assessment. Following the assessment, mitigations measures such as signage and public awareness through online mapping may be implemented. Public signage is placed within a 150m radius from the nest and magpies generally swoop for between six and eight weeks within a 100m of their nests for walkers and 150m radius for cyclists. The approach will be varied depending on the circumstances, species and location of the swooping bird.
What can I do about a swooping bird on my property?
Council does not manage wildlife on private property or state controlled land.Licenced relocators can be engaged directly by the landowner or complainant for a nominated fee.
