Magpie experts??

[bp1974]

Yesterday morning my girlfriend and I were awoken by some weird sounds that I thought were crows. She had a look out the window and caught a glimpse of what was going on but I didn't get to see it. She saw a magpie on the ground, being attacked by two other magpies. It would fly a short distance before getting pounced on and pecked again. From the sounds it was making it was very distressed.

Does anyone know if this is common magpie behaviour and what the possible reasons for such an attack are?
This all happened in Central London so my thoughts are that even the birds need ASBOing around here..

 

[Ogri the trog]

That sounds to me as though it was a youngster who had fallen out of the wrong side of the nest. Maggies are extremely territorial and will attack any other magpie who pays a visit. The garden wall could represent a boundary and once the line is crossed it becomes fair game.

Ogri the trog

 

[steven andrews]

:cough: .22lr subsonic hollow-point :cough:

 

[Ogri the trog]

Ditto

Ogri the trog

 

[AJB]

Yep, I've seen Magpies fighting like that before.

 

[Buckshot]

Prety colours or should I say 'Bootiful plumage'
But not very nice manners !

Cheers

Mark

 

[arctic hobo]

:cough: .22lr subsonic hollow-point :cough:

I've had to do that before... they used to kill bats round our way like they were wannabe hawks. Trouble is there were so many of them something had to be done.

 

[FeralSheryl]

This is the tail end of the breeding season for Magpies and they're very protective parents. I've seen the same thing in my neighbour's front garden last year. Four or five of them were picking on a slightly smaller one. It may well have been from another brood and a strayed a little too far into their territory. Members of the crow family are very jealous partners too - they mate for life and are very loyal to eachother but will not easily tolerate the presence of another male or female percieved as a threat to their happy home.

Anyway I broke up that particular fracas and the little one managed to give the others the slip. I did notice that it flew off in a very different direction from their nesting site.

After the breeding season is over Magpies settle back down into a reasonably peaceful existence with other birds and tend to just scout about fairly quietly looking for insects.

Wonderful birds. I love em!

 

[bp1974]

Thanks for all that info. We thought maybe it was a younger one being attacked but it was hard to tell. That makes sense - end of the season.

Cheers!