Australia is famous for its dangerous wildlife, from sharks to spiders and snakes. Perhaps it is strange for foreigners to find that the most frightening animal for the locals is a beautiful black and white bird that is just over 12 inches tall.
“Go fast but don’t run” or “Wear a hat or an umbrella” signs appear in Australia every spring. The decrease in habitat leads to clashes between magpies and humans.
On a beautiful spring day in Melbourne, Geoff Maslen was cycling to the gym when he felt something hit his helmet on his head. At first he didn’t understand what was going on, it wasn’t raining at the time. It was only later that Maslen learned that an evil bird was violently pecking the back of his head.
However, Maslen did not panic. Maggots are frequently seen and descend low in Australia’s spring, September and October. According to Maslen, author of the book “An Uncertain Future: Wild Birds Are in Danger”, he escaped. getting out of the case is quite easy.
“My friend was attacked by the evil, but he realized that the helmet would prevent him from injuring himself, so he grabbed his ear while he stung. Blood flowed through his head, ”Maslen said.
Australia is famous for its dangerous wildlife, from sharks to spiders and snakes. Perhaps it is strange for foreigners to find that the most frightening animal for the locals is a beautiful black and white bird that is just over 12 inches tall.
In September, according to Australian media reports, in Perth, a boy in a stroller was nearly blinded after he fell and attacked the boy’s face. That same month, a Melbourne reporter posted photos of blood streaming down his face after an angry bird “didn’t know where it was coming from” and injured him.
This season alone, there have been around 3,000 dive-down crimes, injuring around 400 people. The Devilish Alert website says the majority of incidents happened between August and mid-October.
However, despite the fear they bring, evil is still one of the beloved birds. In December 2017, they were selected as Australia’s Bird of the Year in a survey organized by Guardian and BirdLife, outperforming Kingfisher and Kingfisher.
“These are species with a special charm. They are very attractive, intelligent and make friends, especially those who give them food, ”Maslen said.
Even so, the “relationship” can go in the opposite direction. “I have a friend in Brisbane,” he says. He said he had been targeted by evil for 25 years. “
“Common behavior” of birds
Gisela Kaplan, professor emeritus at the University of New England in Southeastern Australia, has studied evil behavior for decades and is the guardian of this bird. She assured CNN that the bird can have a long-term relationship with humans if treated well.
“Gliding and diving are common practice for all birds. We often don’t notice it because most songwriters are small and if they break down we won’t notice it, ”she said.
This phenomenon usually occurs in males to defend themselves when they sense that a stranger or threat is too close to their nest. Professor Kaplan said it was a warning to strangers to stay away, not attack on purpose.
“They’ll probably come down a few times to signal ‘you’re too close to my nest’ and if humans don’t respond they’ll fly closer to our heads and even collide,” she said. Explain.
According to her, a bird will not want to “hit” humans to avoid injury. “The evil one does not want and does not benefit from such contact. They can break their necks.
“Do not run”
Each spring arrives across Australia, on light poles and telephone booths are signs warning people to enter the evil nesting area. In Queensland, tips like ‘Quickly browse the area but don’t run’, ‘Wear a hat or cover your umbrella’ or ‘Cyclists, get off and walk’ are everywhere.
Around this time, visitors to Australia will see many people walking around with poles and cyclists wearing helmets.
“The most common way to deal with evil is to dive into a dive by holding a stick and waving it overhead when entering a magpie area,” Maslen says.
“I have seen many cyclists put poles on helmets to prevent birds from hitting their helmets.”
However, Kaplan argues that the proliferation of such incidents is not an issue that can be addressed through the creation of weapons or helmets. The elimination of fallout and rapid urbanization push birds to small urban areas.
“In highways or high traffic areas where noise and human activity are overwhelmed,” Kaplan said.
She and Maslen claim that evil is one of the smartest and friendliest birds if they are not under too limited circumstances, forced to defend and protect the nest.
