Magpie Attacks and Cycling

It's spring ... the weather is warming up, the flowers are blooming, and you can't wait to get out there on your bike. Either for fun or to begin a training block for the new race season, you hope to spend some hours in the saddle. Unfortunately it's also the time of year that Magpies become violently protective of their nests. This can range from a mere annoyance to a very real danger to cyclists and pedestrians.

To be fair, it is completely natural for a Magpie to want to protect it's young - all species depend on the survival of their offspring. How is the Magpie to know you are just riding past and have absolutely no interest in its nest? Still, when you are concentrating on your cadence and the traffic is zooming past a meter or so away, a swooping, squawking bird is the last thing you need.

You may find some sources claiming that Magpies merely snap their beaks and squawk, but I can tell you from first hand experience that some will make physical contact. Unfortunately, some day you may meet an irate and determined Magpie nesting along your favorite cycling route. Well, what can you do?

There are a number of possible solutions

  • You can hold of for 12 weeks until the baby Magpies have hatched, by which time Mum will be too busy feeding them to chase anyone away.
  • You can find a new route that avoids the nest.
  • You can speed up to 60kph while you ride past, I have found this to be the speed at which the bird will chase but not make an effective swoop. Still, this is not practical for most cyclists, particularly if the bird's territory is on a hill.
  • You can attempt to discourage the bird with some of the techniques below.


Ok, so you have decided to re-assert your dominance as the number one species on planet Earth. Great! Here at Swim Ride Run we believe in a minimum impact on flora and fauna while we enjoy the great outdoors, which includes not leaving rubbish, and definitely not hurting the local bird population. So that rules out throwing projectiles at the bird, which would probably be dangerous while cycling anyway, and a samurai sword is not a recommended cycling accessory. So that leaves us with one option. Scare the bird away.

If you have any experience with swooping Magpies, you will know that they won't attack your face. They only strike from behind, and the simple waving of an arm above your head will possibly deter the bird easily enough, but as we are cycling and the safest place for our hands is on the handle bars, this is not a preffered option. Turning around to look the crazed bird in the eye is not an option either. So here are three suggestions.

Try these ideas...

  • You can toughen up! Ok, this is not an insult to those who find it particularly distracting, but if you can acknowledge that the bird is very unlikely to draw blood, and if you can afford to loose a few hairs from top of your head (some of us can't) then this is an option. But you must be mentally prepared to put up with claws in your back, pecking on your head and helmet, and focus 100% on staying upright and on track.
  • Wear a novelty mask on the back of your head - something with eyes and a human-like face may deter the bird from attacking. If you can find one that is flexible enough, it can be stashed in your jersey pocket, so after you pass the danger zone you won't have to wear it for your entire ride.
  • Another option is to attatch cable ties to the helmet. Buy some large cable ties and attach them to your helmet's air vents, pointing in all directions on the top of your head. These will poke out and move naturally as you cycle and will put off any would-be attackers from above. The Magpie may squawk and swoop but is unlikely to make physical contact.


From my own experience this last option works reasonably well. A truly aggressive and determined bird will still attempt an attack, but contact with my head and upper back was greatly reduced. This particular bird may have been exceptionally nasty, as another two Magpies on my usual ride stopped attacking completely once the cable ties where in place. OK, so you're cycling with big cable ties sticking out of your helmet, but at least you're cycling. And if you encounter a truly nasty piece of work, like my arch nemesis last season, you have a much greater chance of avoiding injury. And it's only for 12 or so weeks then you can cut them off.

Good luck and safe cycling.

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