You can get rid of magpies by scaring them with decoys or scarecrows. Shiny and reflective objects can also scare and deter them from your landscape. However, the best method to keep magpies away is to remove food and water sources so they don’t come around in the first place.
What Colours do magpies hate?
Myth 2: Magpies target certain colours
None of the research about magpies to date has found that magpies target specific colours, such as orange, yellow or purple. Instead, it is widely believed that they swoop purely to protect their young.
What is the natural predator of magpies?
Magpies have few natural predators in the wild. They are too large to be an easy target for birds of prey, and too clever to generally be caught by cats or other hunting mammals. As such, a magpie population can grow consistently year-on-year until it becomes a significant issue.
Do googly eyes stop magpies?
Watch the bird – or use googly eyes
Mr Galvin said eyeballing a magpie likely to swoop might deter it from diving towards you. “In a lot of cases it will be enough to turn them off.” He said many people stuck googly eyes on the back of their helmets so the birds thought they were being watched.
How do you keep magpie birds away? – Related Questions
What colors are birds afraid of?
While no color will specifically discourage birds from your yard, having too much white could keep a few birds away. “This probably stems from the stark contrast between white and the surrounding environment,” explains Mulvihill.
What do magpies not like?
Deterrents for magpies
Half-full plastic bottles or CDs hung up in trees to scare the predators away. Magpies don’t like the way light reflects from the surface. GuardnEyes scarecrow balloon, available from Dazer UK. It may be possible to deter them by playing a tape of a crow or rook distress call.
Do magpies like blue things?
In 64 tests during feeding, magpies picked up a shiny object only twice – and discarded it immediately. The birds essentially ignored or avoided both shiny and blue objects, and often fed less when they were present.
Do magpies like gold?
The team were unable to find any evidence that magpies were attracted to shiny things and the objects actually appeared to prompt responses of neophobia, the fear of new things.
What shiny things do magpies like?
Magpies are very curious, just like their relatives, the jays and crows. They may sometimes pick up shiny things, but they don’t show any preference for shiny over dull. A magpie’s more likely to grab your sandwich than your silver.
Should you look magpies in the eye?
Avoid making eye contact with the birds. If you know of an area that has swooping magpies, put a sign up to warn passers-by.
Are magpies good for anything?
The Magpies’ appetite for eating the insects in your lawn makes them great backyard buddies as they will help keep your bug numbers down naturally.
Why are magpies a problem?
Magpies can be very aggressive during their July to December breeding season. They defend their territory and young by swooping and attacking any animal, including humans. They usually attack people around the head and eyes. These attacks, especially on children, can be terrifying and dangerous.
Can a magpie hurt you?
A magpie’s defensive behaviour can range from a non-contact swoop with or without beak snapping, through to pecking, dive-bombing and sometimes front-on attacks from the ground. A few attacks are more serious leading to bloodied ears and cheeks or even eye injury.
What attracts magpies to your house?
Cover and get rid of food sources
In addition to produce and birdseed, magpies will eat from the bin, pet food and anything else edible they can get their hands on. If magpies gather on your roof, then check and clear out your gutters as they can often collect leaves, dirt and worms – a delicious meal for magpies.
How do you poison magpies?
Large populations of magpies can be successfully controlled using the narcotic poison alphachloralose. This product, when used in concentrations of 2.5 per cent or below, will anaesthetise birds rather than kill them. Comatose birds can then be collected and humanely killed.
Why do farmers not like magpies?
But they also attack livestock, viciously and ingeniously. Farmers usually hate them. Magpies also prey on young songbirds, although their effect on the populations is negligible compared with that of domestic cats.
Why do farmers trap magpies?
It is the most widely used magpie population control method amongst gamekeepers, magpies are also controlled by conservationists. It is also used to trap magpies by those concerned for the well-being of nesting song-birds. The decoy bird must be properly cared for according to local regulations.