Gisela Kaplan
2017
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In this article, Gisela Kaplan discusses the relationship between humans and magpies, a type of black and white bird.
Can one form a friendship with a magpie — even when adult males are protecting their nests during the swooping season? The short answer is: “Yes, one can.”
Ravens and magpies are known to form powerful allegiances among themselves. In fact, Australia is thought to be a hotspot for cooperative behavior in birds worldwide. They like to stick together with family and mates.
Of course, many bird species may readily become tame enough to take food from our hand, but this isn’t really “friendship.” However, there is evidence that, remarkably, free-living magpies can forge lasting relationships with people, even without depending on us for food or shelter.
When magpies are permanently settled on human property, they are also far less likely to swoop the people who live there. Over 80% of all successfully breeding magpies live near human houses, which means the vast majority of people never get swooped. Also, since magpies can live between 25 and 30 years and are territorial, they can develop lifelong friendships with humans. This bond can extend to trusting certain people around their offspring.
A key reason why friendships with magpies are possible is that we now know that magpies are able to recognize and remember individual human faces for many years. They will remember someone who was good to them; equally, they remember negative encounters.
Why become friends?
Magpies that actively form friendships with people make this investment (from their point of view) for good reason. Properties suitable for magpies are hard to come by and the competition is fierce. Most magpies will not secure a territory — let alone breed — until they are at least five years old. In fact, only about 14% of adult magpies ever succeed in breeding.
The difference between simply not swooping someone and a real friendship manifests in several ways. When magpies have formed an attachment, they will often show their trust, for example, by formally introducing their offspring. They may allow their chicks to play near people, not fly away when a resident human is approaching, and actually approach or roost near a human.
In rare cases, they may even join in human activity. On one extraordinary occasion, an adult female magpie gingerly entered my house on foot, and hopped over to my desk where I was sitting. She watched me type on the keyboard and even looked at the screen. I had to get up to take a phone call and when I returned, the magpie had taken up a position at my keyboard, pecked the keys gently, and then looked at the “results” on the screen.
The bird was curious about everything I did. She also wanted to play with me and found my shoelaces particularly attractive, pulling them and then running away a little only to return for another go.
Importantly, it was the bird that had begun to take the initiative and had chosen to socially interact and such behavior, as research has shown particularly in primates, is part of the basis of social bonds and friendships.
Risky business
If magpies can be so good with humans, how can one explain their swooping at people? It’s worth bearing in mind that swooping magpies do not act in aggression or anger but as nest defenders. The strategy they choose is based on risk assessment.
A risk is posed by someone who is unknown and was not present at the time of nest building, which unfortunately is often the case in public places and parks. That person is then classified as a territorial intruder and thus a potential risk to their family. At this point the male guarding the nest performs a warning swoop, literally asking a person to step away from the nest area.
If warnings are ignored, the adult male may try to conduct a near-contact swoop aimed at the head. Magpie swooping is generally a defensive action taken when someone unknown approaches who the magpie believes intends harm. It is not an arbitrary attack.
When I was swooped for the first time in a public place, I slowly walked over to the other side of the road. Importantly, I allowed the male to study my face and appearance from a safe distance, so he could remember me in the future. This is a useful strategy since we now know that magpies remember human faces.
A sure way of escalating conflict is to fence them with a device like an umbrella or to run away at high speed. This approach may well confirm for the magpie that the person concerned is dangerous and needs to be fought with every available strategy.
In dealing with magpies, de-escalating a perceived conflict is usually the best strategy.
What is the effect of the author describing magpies' relationships with people as an "investment"? (Paragraph 6)
A. It highlights that the relationships are temporary.
B. It suggests that people benefit from the relationships.
C. It suggests that magpies benefit from the relationships.
D. It highlights that the relationships are more difficult to develop over time.
11 answers
C. It suggests that magpies benefit from the relationships.
The author's use of the term "investment" implies that magpies form friendships with potential advantages for themselves, such as securing better territories and breeding opportunities. This highlights that the relationships are formed with a purpose that ultimately benefits the magpies.
A. by sharing examples of how magpies behave when they trust someone
The author provides specific examples of magpie behaviors that indicate trust, such as introducing their offspring, allowing their chicks to play near humans, and even engaging with humans in playful ways (e.g., the magpie interacting with the author's keyboard). These examples illustrate the development of trust between magpies and people.
A. appears
In the context of paragraph 7, "manifests" is used to indicate how the difference between not swooping someone and a real friendship becomes evident or "appears" in various behaviors.
A. supporting the idea that magpies are nonviolent birds.
In paragraphs 8-9, the author explains that swooping by magpies is a defensive behavior rather than an aggressive one. This supports the idea that magpies are not acting violently but are instead protecting their nests based on their risk assessment of humans as potential intruders.
D. random
In paragraph 13, "arbitrary" is used to describe the nature of magpie swooping, indicating that such actions are not based on specific intention or reasoning, but rather are random or without a specific cause when a threat is perceived.
C. "Magpie swooping is generally a defensive action taken when someone unknown approaches who the magpie believes intends harm." (Paragraph 13)
This quotation directly explains that magpies swoop as a defensive measure against perceived threats to their nests and families. It captures the reason behind their protective behavior.
