Swooping birds

Be warned but don’t be alarmed when swooping season is here.

Swooping season occurs each year due to birds such as Magpies and Masked Lapwings (plovers) swooping to protect their eggs and young. This is a normal behaviour for some birds during the breeding season.

There are a number of simple measures which can be taken to minimise the risk of being swooped:

• avoid nesting areas where birds are swooping
• protect your head and eyes
• move through the area quickly or find an alternate route.

Things not to do as aggressive behaviour can make things worse include:

• throwing rocks or sticks
• waving your arms around and
• making a lot of noise

Remember while it is not pleasant being swooped, native birds are protected under the Wildlife Act 1975 so don’t try to scare or attack the bird.

Further information is available at the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) website where there is also an interactive map that you can enter or look up details of swooping sites in the Victorian Swooping Bird Map.