Killer Magpie

[xThExJacKx]

clearly windows movie maker editing

[thisisobvious]

Don't wear a helmet because the risk of crashing is clearly a lesser risk than being swooped on by a magpie. Am I understanding this correctly?

[0h3h30]

MAGPIES SHOULD BE RESPECTED FOR THIER VILE FORMS OF PLAY.

[WildyCinema]

i would never do this. i fucking hate magpies.

[KrunchyJD]

I wear sunnies in breeding season

[PrivateJoker17]

An attacking bird lives in my front yard, every time I walk out my door I get attacked, it's gotten to the point that I'm scared to go for a walk.

[SubzeroFusion]

i was expecting a 3d video after seeing the two cameras taped to your head : (

[BovisRichards]

They are also aggresive to their own reflections....see the UK Magpie attacking a car wing mirror by clicking my name! :-)

[KrunchyJD]

@BovisRichards UK magpies are a different bird.

[andyynwa94]

Why do they attack people on bikes with helmets?

[yaaaaaaiiiiir]

@andyynwa94 magpies attract attention to shiny objects including helmets

[deadmeat1654]

kill the bitches!!!!!

[MissJennyIsMe]

I developed a fear of magpies because of them swooping for my head.. and i have black hair.. and my face is white/pale.. they swoop the back of my head but not my face.. :/

[yaaaaaaiiiiir]

pellet gun is loaded for the breeding season!

[Danish4uDanish4me]

Ive been attacked soo many times by magpies, and I was walking with no helmet or any sort of head gear

[edavisdavis]

treatment 4 Cap gun,the one I aim to use

[elstado1]

bird strike.. the worst kind.

[BraniusBalki]

Magpies are overprotective parents, which ironically will be their undoing.

[spiderwebbie96]

When walking during magpie season I carry an umbrella, dosen't help bike riders much though.

[LauraLouise5]

I got swooped real bad the other day by two magpies, one of them came down 4 or 5 times, gee I was petrified, was glad to be out of there. No more bike riding for me for until this season is over I think!

[GaladedridDamodred]

MAGPIES ARE EVIL.

I'm pretty sure the ones near my house have started attacking in pentagram formation.

[LeacieLea]

That's really interesting, we've got a Maggie out front that is targeting my son and not the neighbours kid. My boy was wearing a bright blue bike helmet and getting dive bombed non stop, right up to our garage door, yet the other kid with him was wearing a black skate helmet and wasn't targeted once... maybe because his helmet looked like hair??

Might get my boy to borrow it to experiment... thanks for the vid guys.

[dudiusmaximus]

i wish this video were true. i was just out, not wearing my helmet, and now my left ear is bleeding.

[gottaluvbirds]

i was just watching 9 news and some little kid got blinded in one eye by a swooping magpie. it's terrible. but the kid's arsehole of a mum was getting angry because noone was trying to kill the magpie. ide kill her! if some big creature about 25x bigger than you came strolling by looking very scary and you had to protect youre 2-3 babies you'de do something about it! and if they really did shoot the bird the babys would be killed by another bird or starve! the nerve of some people! >.<

[anothguy]

Dont worry, Aussies boldly deal with them. One of techniques is avoiding magpie areas. And of course fill in the "swooping form". What next? The swooping location will appear on the map! Cool isn't it?

Wake up twisted fucks

[ginipiglover2002]

Man, I got swooped by one yesterday. I was on me bike, I don't know why they target people on bikes. Lucky I had me helmet on otherwise I would've been toast!

[cadunerdfeliz]

Only people who don't ride bikes and are not attacked by magpies protect their "rights". Those birds are evil.

[xThExJacKx]

@cadunerdfeliz they r the coolest birds ever i reckon

[Mindstomper187]

ah, quite interesting, oh, they like shiny objects.. so..

[MsMerising]

I am currently being stalked by a magpie outside my apartment complex. He just cut the side of my face. I am wearing black, is he cock-blocking me because he thinks I'm bigger & blacker or what?

[OdysseusGarapet]

i would punch that bird if it touched me.

[MsTsarbomba]

If they swoop then kill the swooping dangerous little cunts that they are, some people say their a protected species, well let them be swooped and lose their eyesight to these annoying fuckers

[allykatblue]

Yo Brittish folk this is a completely different bird to the Brittish Magpie which is in the crow family. Australian magpies are not in the crow family, they look alike so when the Brittish arrived in Australia they were called Magpies. it doesn't care about shiny things. These birds are males defending their nest.

[alphidee78]

It's nearly that time again...

[kaykayhorselover]

omg poor person

it will be protecting it nest

[bedbugsdobite]

no no you have to wear a cap with the sunshade at the back of the neck (like what primary kids wear) that has 2 eyes stuck on.

[Czixx]

Those sure are some angry birds.

[sketch2k]

ahahahaha ... man why are they so fucking angry



[muddydave01]

@sketch2k Their testicles swell to more than forty times normal size....seriously.

[666davidfrench]

You have the same bike as me I think... Kona Smoke 29?

[iansa53]

must use a black non-shiny helmut. magpies love shiny things!!!

[iansa53]

they do like the shiny dont they?

[jonty811]

Could it be the colour of the helmet and adornments that attract the maggie?

I know here in Ipswich they steal my coloured pegs!

[GECHYA4BRAIN2BLOWN0]

treatment 6 pellet gun... no more problem

[Trollingwithmyhomies]

i just shoot em with an air rifle then they die 

[00haze]

Yeah I figured that stuff didn't work :p

[1815chris5]

Magpies are awesome! If they swoop you it usually means they've had a bad experience with humans before.

All the magpies around my suburb are my friends. Had the same one coming to my backyard for 20 years!

[carbonrocket]

Great vid! Funny as anything I have seen on the tube!

[SONBoomer]

Of course it does not work! A shiny helmet is attracting magpies! Your hair, however, that reminds them of a bigger animal's fur, is a great distraction...

[TheDeadComeBack2Life]

that used to happen to me soooo many times riding to school. LOL

[britdemo]

hahah your magpies are the other way round (white with black bits) in uk there black with white bits..but there still twats

[nitramluap]

My experience is that they don't attack me - I don't wear a bicycle helmet - yet they attack all the other riders, with helmets... Another reason why we shouldn't be forced by law to wear bicycle helmets (helmetfreedom(dot)org)

[beemer567]

just carry a tennis racket in a side holster. smack the little bugger

[445haly]

go pies

[MarkMck1994]

Respect to the Bird.... just trying to protect its young..... and steal peoples hair to build its nest!!!

[AmANoid]

bloody magpies, i got attacked by about 4 at once causing me to stack my bike. I then picked up a stick and tried to hit them and i copped a beak just under my eye. We should be allowed to kill them

[vincey27]

maggie attacked me and nearly ripped my ear off,went to a/e looking like a car crash victim!!!.

[googlyeyes1000]

this makes me hate birds because they can be so freaking aggressive.  what also makes me hate birds is The Birds movie lol

[fruitcheese333]

I get swooped on foot with no head adornments :(

[serkkz]

Right about the time it comes by you need jetli reflexes to give it a killer blow to the head and lay it flat on the floor, turn around and run it over a few times with your bike.

[toptuneben]

unreal! I saw an article in BV magazine where they concluded the same thing. Basically the helmet is what is classed as a threat. They suggested sticking an afro wig over the top of your helmet.

Personally I wouldn't do this as it would make me overheat. I just work out where the areas are an get off my bike. If you walk through their territory they won't swoop you ... but that could involve a lot of walking.

[50centkiwi]

we have them in our school and we play with them and they keep trying to get us and they were about 4 of em its very very fun

[JUSTINcredbleJB]

Haha i went for a run today and got swooped by magpies :( not fun

[1DPIKI]

I was swooped and hit by one today! :'(

[verticalsmurf]

Serously, what chance is there of a life altering or threatening injury from a magpie when compared the chances of being harmed by a fellow human, cat, dog, bug...

At least with Magpies we know when and where to avoid their area, or just use common sense.

[andrew01010101]

Not all magpies swoop, not all magpies swoop the same things. It depends what triggered the swooping behaviour in the first place. If it was someone on a bike, thats what they tend to swoop whilst leaving a jogger / walker alone.

[heykuckma]

Thats right!!!! STUPID IDIOT AUSSIE HELMET BULLSHIT!!!!!! It looks like crap and its is crap!!!!

[xopenheartx]

Dude I can't blame them, that bright blue helmet looks ridiculous! :p

[readingsteve]

Fascinating video guys. Nice work. I had the misfortune of a bike breakdown the other week and ended up pushing my bike without helmet on. Still got buzzed by the magpie, so the helmet clearly isn't the total answer to this puzzle.

[readingsteve]

Fascinating video! I had the misfortune of a bike breakdown the other week and ended up pushing the bike without my helmet on. I still got buzzed by the magpie, so I don't think the helmet is the full answer to this puzzle! Good work though!

[aussiebushman]

hahahahhaha thats awesome i love swooping magpies sucked in bike riders ...get off the roads

[zasagt4]

@aussiebushman

how you crash and die

[mbiddy666]

@aussiebushman hahahaha! Damn straight!

[dyaakov]

the solution:

MAGPIE SEASON!!!!

[dyaakov]

you guys see, wearing a helmet is a menace

[brucecheewai]

why the hell do all these DUMB ARSES think magpies only swoop in canberra?? how ignorant can you be?? they hit everywhere. i'm in brisbane and i've been swooped. they draw blood. i know they swoop in melbourne and sydney as well. IDIOTS!!!!!

[owengoslin101]

i tried removing my helmet today and got a chunk of my scalp taken off. im just going to car a gun next time

[whipthedog]

25000 views. Love it

[mumandtwins]

Brilliant 

[ocschwar]

Looks to me like they're driven to attack teh shiny. What happens if you put a wig on the helmet?

[thatguyrocks100]

When they atack me i have a laugh atack

[furmanb]

Try Flinders Uni... S.A.

[dboys2328]

Gimme a paintball gun n ill bet i shoot that bitch out the sky

[AnnihalationonaStick]

wow, magpies are assholes.

[GW7AAV]

Try fitting razor blades to the helmet. It would only dive bomb you the once.

[crawley86]

Strap a shotgun to the helmet. Boom. Goodbye Magpie!

[hepalopala]

haha, when i was in canberra i saw everyone had cableties on their helmets. i didn't understand why untill i was waiting at traffic lights. there was traffic passing infront of me, then a postie with a magpie chasing him all the way down the road.

[Xaxton2]

You need to make the helmet less shiny.

[sageross]

Strange conclusion! Ive been attacked on the ground (walking/running) and i dont wear a helmet... Whats the go with that!!! Awesome Vid tho! Thanks for making this video!

[OneBillyTurner]

Glasgow Magpies would have those feathered freaks for breakfast

[Devilito999]

Oh Cool...funny mapie

[jien1983]

Hey, that's ANU !

[SIM2402]

Magpies are fine most of the year except in Spring. They just don't like any one going near their babies...

[bahutu]

I cycled along the Australian East Coast during spring... these bastards attacked me every now and then... really hated it!

When I came to Australia I was afraid of snakes and spiders; when I left it, my only enemy was the magpie!

Now it's to late but thanks for your studies anyway!

[sageross]

@bahutu Hey man... Im into cycling and was thinking of cycling east coast. Was wondering - Did u cycle on the highway? or some dedicated bike path?

[bahutu]

@sageross I was cycling on both. in many cases, the highway is the shortest way but mostly I decided to drive on minor roads. There are not that much dedicated cycleways, only in or around bigger cities/tourist places. But the traffic is not very frequent (at least it was in spring), so it was a great experience.

At least you don't have to worry about the magpies if you travel at any time but 3-4 weeks in spring, because thats the only time they attack (to prevent me robbing their eggs).

[bahutu]

@sageross oh by the way I don't want to conceal that I didnt cycle everywhere; I made a good combination with a greyhound pass. so I picked out the best routes to cycle and left out those where there was nothing despite the highway or too less hostels...

[sageross]

@bahutu Thanks for the awesome advice bro! Greyhound pass sounds like a great idea to passby those boring bits :P

[RockBandGirl129]

well sheesh god wats rong w/ u

[SaxonSwine]

Man, Aussie Magpies looks really annoying. I'm glad Brit Magpies don't do stuff like that!

[XxNanimeAngelxX]

lol I've seen none this year

[lehman]

I think its time to glue some wigs onto your helmet.

[BYTBP]

I still think the peewees are the worst in Canberra - they go for the neck!

[Kelly2357]

Cover a helmet with fur or a cheap wig, so that it looks like hair. I bet that would work.

Please try that next in your experiment :-)

Haha, I just saw this already exists (but for fashion, not for magpies)

"Mink Motorcycle Helmet by Karl Lagerfeld"

[Kelly2357]

Ahhh sorry, just saw your PART 2 of this.

You do try a wig!

[skankysteve22]

what the hell is the dude at 1:02 wearing? is he even part of the experiment?

[Kelly2357]

Probably not. My friends that live in Canberra say that most bike helmet wearers have to attach things like pipe cleaners / cable ties to their bicycle helmets.

Territorial / Breeding Magpies do not like shiny helmets at all. The helmet decorations do not stop them from swooping, but it does stop them from pecking.

[LHAdventures]

Not very scientific boys! Magpies are attracted to the colour red. Try the same rider with the same clothes next time to keep it a fair comparison.

[duplacite]

Magpies are attracted to bright objects. Helmets are somewhat bright...

[chamallowbleu]

@duplacite it's obvious when you think about it!

[parryhr]

This is so funny, if I wasnt one of the magpie targets! I cycle this route everyday into CSIRO... its taking my life in my hands i tell you! i found if i just (illegally) wore a wooly hat they left me alone, so now I cover my helmet with my hat, look like a rasta but it works!

[paulestorey]

I'm sticking with the long cable ties, I still get swooped but they longer smack into my helmet.

[TheCircusGuy]

A couple of Tasmanians told me that magpies aren't aggressive in the island state. Are swooping magpies only a mainland phenomenon?

[Hobbanobbachobba1]

Jeez that rider is a brave man!

[djhaks]

Looks like Canberra to me. How about a video trying the same thing on the Glenloch interchange bike path Maggie?

[gib395]

Yes, we've heard it is a nasty piece of work. One of our colleagues reported that removing their helmet stopped it swooping! (not that we would recommend this of course)

[CyclingMikey]

@gib395 Why wouldn't you recommend removing the helmet? Turns out the public helmet laws in your country are a net public health loss, not a win.

[xlnetwork]

@gib395 In my country (The Netherlands) we've always ridden without a helmet (except for guys on race bikes and ATB's, but that's a different story). I believe helmets should NOT be manditory. Take a look at MikeRubbo his movies about this (YouTube user).

[MarkusVee]

Great work boys and very amusing. Don't worry about Steve Virtual he's just pissed that he didn't come up with the idea of making a funny vid. (TIC)

[0ricom]

How is he a blood nut?

Like seriously, how? haha

[gib395]

But I guess he could've become a blood nut!! :)

[bcb657]

SO I know this particular magpie well, it's the one at the bottom of CSIRO Black Mountain. In my own experiment this afternoon, it went for me even without a helmet. They learn fast don't they?

[JohnnoShadbolt]

That takes balls. Big balls.

[SteveVirtual]

How very silly. Firstly try walking (obviously not wearing a helmet) and you'll soon see how much your bare head will assist you.

[Frossticle]

You forgot the one with the automatic turret.

[MrArt86]

To all the men and woman with cable ties attached to your helmets, here is scientific evidence they do not work, they just make you look like a fool.

great work boys.

[mymeditation]

I thought the helmet adornments were there to restrict how close the magpie can get to your head.

[Teedo145]

I'm a posty and I'm always getting attacked by maggies, Too bad I can't take my helmet off haha

Good work guys

[mattymattmattmattjr]

that just makes me hate collingwood even more

[Madipaka]

Everyone in my street that jogs carries a stick with them LOL!

[sharkinfested]

DANG! Even the non venomous wildlife in Australia tries to kill you.

[sageross]

@sharkinfested haha.. Kangaroos arent as innocent and cute as u think either!

[Andrew368]

I hate those swooping Magpies

[TravvyG]

I luv Magpies. My friend saw this guy ridng his bike past McDonalds and the guys Helmet didn't have the Plastic on foam and the Magpie got it's beck stuck in the Helmet my friend hasn't ever seen something that funny in her life ^_^

[tubester4567]

amazing. The only other thing that could have been tested is a bright red wig.

[Chrisco264]

That is pretty cool. Thanks guys. :)

[oncebittern]

Now that's science! Good job Phil!

[AquiloniusMonk]

NIce work Phil! I've been unwillingly replicating your experiment with the same magpie.