Observatoire des droits humains (anglais seulement)

They come from above: here’s why magpies, magpie-larks and lapwings swoop in spring

(Version anglaise seulement)

par Meg Edwards, Lecturer in Wildlife Science, University of Southern Queensland

If you live in Australia or New Zealand, the coming of spring is a mixed blessing. The days get warmer. Flowers bloom. Birds nest.

It’s this last change which can be a problem. Nesting makes male birds from species such as magpies, magpie-larks and masked lapwings (also known as plovers) territorial and protective – and willing to dive-bomb humans.

One species is notorious – the Australian magpie. This iconic black and white songbird is a familiar sight in cities and towns across both Australia and New Zealand, as it was…

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