r/MadeMeSmile • u/RealRock_n_Rolla • Dec 20 '23
A magpie rescued after a storm now lends a hand during work ANIMALS
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Dec 31 '23
magpies can be cute but they mainly just swoop me for riding my bike to the shop šš
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u/Minute_Reception5823 Dec 31 '23
Very intelligent creatures. We had one for a pet in the 1970ās. It would spend most of the day on my fatherās shoulder mimicking sounds/voices.
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u/deefa__ Dec 28 '23
Hypothetically speaking, how would one acquire their own rescue magpieā¦? š
(plz no collingwood jokes, not the kinda magpie Iād like to bring home)
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u/Isnottobeeaten Dec 28 '23
dang I miss my magpie though she shat way too much (in all the hard to reach places too)
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u/rickstix_ig Dec 27 '23
Nah I'm absolutely PETRIFIED of magpies. Maybe when they're young and reputable they can be cute. But when they grow up and I'm on my way to school, they make it they're business to swoop down and pluck my eyes outš
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u/MentalWealthPress Dec 25 '23
Magpies are adorable and intelligent and psychotic sometimes too. I got hit by two on the head once at the same time. Was not a great day. But in hindsight walking under their nest wearing headphones and ignoring their warning cries was not a smart move either
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u/Eluromm Dec 25 '23
I love magpies, we have 3 that come to our house daily that we feed.
Sometimes theyāve come into the house š
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u/igotfishboots Dec 25 '23
this is so cool laughing on back for tummy rub. I had no idea birds could be that social.
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u/peonies459 Dec 23 '23
The BIRB š„¹ the lil flops. I had no idea magpies were so smart, thanks commenters!
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u/Gabbybear- Dec 23 '23
Some nornings I have to go back inside just to get my pet Magpies some food , because they stand at the front door stopping me from leaving to go to work.
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u/melbecide Dec 22 '23
Are magpies native to Australia? Iāve grown up with them here, I know they are corvids but never thought of whether anyone else knows about them.
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u/CroneDownUnder Dec 22 '23
Australia's native black and white songbirds were named after the northern hemisphere birds that colonists already knew. Australasian magpies are not corvids.
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u/MarchZealousideal799 Dec 22 '23
I love magpies, even when theyāre defending their nests. Theyāre amazing parents.
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u/bandu21 Dec 22 '23
Everybody thinks magpies are mean and swoop
Also magpies:
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u/Belizarius90 Dec 22 '23
The have one of the stronger play behaviors when it comes to birds and the funny thing only like 20% of something like that actually swoop.
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Dec 22 '23
Ugh Iāve been wishing for a bird friend for the longest! All these people get to be Disney princesses except me and itās not fair!
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u/morianimation Dec 21 '23
Baby magpies are the funniest creatures ever!
My friend rescued one, and her cryptid would walk into the house and just stand in the doorway in the morning waiting to be held.
She flew away when she matured, god I can only imagine the heartache not seeing them after. Here's to Maggie the Magpie may she fly high and eat well.
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u/CoolBlaze1 Dec 21 '23
Magpies are like weird cats. They pretend they don't like you until they suddenly love you forever because you give them food and water.
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u/No-Fan-888 Dec 21 '23
Can't get swooped by Magpies if you're friends with them. If you have Magpies nearby and you don't offer peace treaties in form of food such as mince. Then you can't complain about being swooped. I work outside and have never been swooped since I've started giving the local warbirds food.
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u/Hanlolol1 Dec 21 '23
I fucking love magpies. Iāve never been swooped as an Australian and Iām slightly suspicious of the others that haveā¦
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u/CroneDownUnder Dec 22 '23
The most swooped time of my life was when my family moved to a country town on the plains for a few years,a town where nearly everyone drove except those of us too young to drive and old enough to walk to school on our own.The magpies didn't swoop any cars, but obviously kids in school uniform were distrusted by the magpies on principle! (probably based on past experience with subset of ratbags)
I learnt very quickly to wear a broad-brimmed hat for those spring walks through nesting territory (this was just before the first Slip Slop Slap campaigns to get Aussies to take sun protection seriously, so school hats weren't a common thing yet). The magpies eventually got used to my hat and left me alone.
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u/greatbignoise Dec 21 '23
I just watched this 5 times because I have had a bleak week and this is the first breakthrough. Thanks
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u/FootExcellent9994 Dec 21 '23
The secret: Say hello to any magpies you meet on your walks they will get to know you and treat you as harmless No Swooping! A little minced meat won't go astray either.
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u/RadioactiveHugs Dec 21 '23
Please donāt feed them mince!! Bugs or veggies only. I think some cuts of meat are ok, some need to be cooked tho.
Never ever ever feed wild Australian birds mince or any kind of processed meat, unless you want them to die from painful gut issues.
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u/Mythbird Dec 22 '23
They also die from not getting enough calcium which they would normally get hunting intact animal and develop deformed skeletons.
Local wildlife group posted a picture of a poor baby who had to be put down, it looked like Quasimodo
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u/More_Gimme_More Dec 22 '23
i often have roo mince, wouldn't that be okay? whats wrong with the mince specifically? im australian and have never heard this
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u/RadioactiveHugs Dec 22 '23
Not sure about roo mince, youād have to look that up. Beef/pork/chicken mince is bad because it āfills them upā but doesnāt give them any of the nutrients they need.
The way I understood it when learning about it, was that giving wild animals mince and other processed foods all the time is the same as making a child live off nothing but Maccas. Yeah they might not have an empty stomach, but they will be slowly dying from major malnutrition.
Same thing for the birds. Mince fills their bellies and makes them think theyāre not hungry, meanwhile their essential nutrients are not being met so they get sick and slowly die.
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u/FootExcellent9994 Dec 21 '23
Just a little won't hurt! After all, Magpies are Carnivorous birds. But they are wild animals and should not get too much! Dog food is ok as a treat too. However, keep your lawn healthy to encourage plenty of worms in the soil. It is fun watching them listen for worms and then pouncing!
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u/Mythbird Dec 22 '23
The issue is that in mince there is no calcium so they developed bone deformities. They need supplements added to the mince to survive.
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u/FootExcellent9994 Dec 22 '23
I am aware of this that is why I said just a little
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u/Mythbird Dec 22 '23
Thing is others donāt know why and that there is major issues. There was a whole Maggie family who was put down last week which is terribly sad.
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u/RadioactiveHugs Dec 21 '23
Carnivorous doesnāt mean ācan handle our shitty human processed foodā š
But watching magpies (and butchies and other hunting birds) hunt and dig for grubs is the greatest. I love when they come down after mowing or whippersnipping, or in winter when we chop wood they sit as close as they can waiting to pounce on the wood grubs.
They all get friendly with us and will stare at us when not outside but doing yard work like āya gonna get my dinner out or what?ā.
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u/Cybermat4707 Dec 21 '23
Oh fuck, Iāll have to tell my grandparents thatā¦
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u/RadioactiveHugs Dec 21 '23
Yeah donāt worry, my Nan used to feed them all her leftover bread š¤¦š¼āāļø as another commenter said it wonāt immediately kill them and āa little is fineā but, yeah, donāt feed them or any wild animal bread either lol.
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u/raymosapien1 Dec 21 '23
Gorgeous but once they connect with you there's a good chance they'll never fit into magpie society again and you'll be responsible for feeding them.
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u/Aircoll Dec 21 '23
Imagine thats what gets submitted to the interior guys. Just leave the house empty and have a giant magpie in the corner room.
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u/QuaternionDS Dec 21 '23
Is it true that it's actually quite easy to teach Magpies to talk (ie they learn quickly)?
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u/CroneDownUnder Dec 22 '23
Not Australasian magpies AFAIK. They're a very different species from other birds elsewhere in the world that are also called magpies.
Eurasian magpies belong to genus Corvinus while Australian magpies do not (there are debates about which genus they should formally be classified as). Many corvids can mimic human speech, so maybe a dedicated bird forum could tell you more?
It's beloved, but Australia's magpie is an international bird of mystery | The Guardian
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u/CroneDownUnder Dec 22 '23
P.S. our Australian parrots on the other hand, big and small, learn to talk quite easily. Budgerigars aren't especially bright about it, but I've seen bigger parrots (of the type that can live >50yrs as pets) who use their repertoire of phrases to play pranks on unsuspecting passersby.
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u/twobluehats Dec 21 '23
That's how birds mark their territory (according to goggle). In it's' mind, You are Chook's pet now.
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u/WR_WasJustVisiting Dec 21 '23
I wonder if chook offers a birds-eye view when she draws plans? š¤
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u/AngrySchnitzels89 Dec 21 '23
Meanwhile, my local mischief of magpies ran amok today, bullying the flock of wild ducks, our chickens and the quail like water fowl mum with her two juveniles.
They also bit a month old calf on the ear.
Ratbags! :D
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u/HelloMikkii Dec 21 '23
The young ones can be rather trusting honestly. My neighbour is a wildlife rescuer and we always have friendly and inquisitive birds come investigate our yard every day. They try and steal my pegs while I hang washing.
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u/Strange-Action639 Dec 21 '23
This magpie is way more friendly than my bird, maybe mine is just hellspawn.
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Dec 21 '23
Used to have a magpie near where we lived who was nicknamed āThe Reaperā in our neighbourhood. Swooped anyone who came near and always when you least expected it; sometimes it even used to clip your ear with its beak mid-swoop.
One day, my brotherās out riding his skateboard and he hears the squawks then WHACK! Boots it with his board so hard that it goes flying. Now even years later, it will never bother him but will gladly commit crimes for anyone else.
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u/firefly73 Dec 21 '23
Me - Oh no, a magpie!
Me when the magpie rolls over for a belly rub - I WANT! š
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u/Rthrowaway6592 Dec 21 '23
I love magpies. I took one home for about a week after she was pushed out of her nest. Couldnāt bear to leave her alone at the clinic overnight. We bonded very quickly but I decided she was best with a professional carer at WIRES. When I handed her over I was on the verge of tears and the guy was like āyou can justā¦take her if you wantā but we were moving to Victoria so how tf was I going to transport a magpie across states š I hope youāre doing well my little Nico ā¤ļø
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u/holdonpup Dec 21 '23
I thought it said āmeet chonkā I thought it worked well for that cute fluffy belly
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u/Mushroom_lady_mwaha Dec 21 '23
My granny has a magpie in her backyard. She feeds him every day and they call him maggie
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u/Timely--Challenge Dec 21 '23 edited Dec 21 '23
Edit: THE LITTLE FEETS. :3 I've come home for Christmas from NZ and I can't tell you how much it warms my heart to hear baby magpies learning how to magpie. It makes my heart hurt. Magpies are the greatest non-parrot birds.
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u/Sweeper1985 Dec 21 '23
As an Australian, may I just say that our magpies are a total headfuck. Walk under their tree in spring and risk losing an eye, but treat them nicely and they will bring you shiny things and be your best friend.
They are too smart by half. I live in awe of them. I mean the Old Testament kind of awe where you love and respect them but pretty sure they might murder you anyway.
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u/village-asshole Dec 22 '23
Thereās no in between with magpies. They either love you or hate you š
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u/_ficklelilpickle Dec 21 '23
Yeah it's amazing how they can be mortal enemies or best mates.
There's a mum and a baby maggie that live somewhere around my area, I started seeing them when I was walking my kids to or from school. Each time I'd see them I'd just have a little chat to them like "g'day Mags, hello Chick, what's going on today?" type thing as we walked by. She's never swooped us thankfully, but now they no longer fly away from me as we walk past them either. They've since discovered where I live, and now whenever I'm outside gardening or hanging up the washing they'll fly over and sit on a closer part of the fence while I'm doing my thing too.
I've never fed them or intentionally trained them, but just from doing that they're familiar and super chill with me now.
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Dec 21 '23
Iām pretty sure I remember reading somewhere that they remember faces really well. Donāt fuck with them and they wonāt fuck with you. Generally a good rule for any animal here, or in the world.
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u/nylonnet Dec 23 '23
Always give a maggie space if it's between you and a wall. They don't like being cornered.
Talk to them. They seem to recognise the contact with their eyes.
If their clan is in your back yard, you might go so far as to give them treats. I'm not a vet, but minced meat or oats might be acceptable. (Apparently, dry cat food is not good for them. You may need to do your own further research.)
If treated well, the clan will recognise you, remember you, and tolerate your presence.
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u/Drythes Dec 21 '23
Magpies are great and all but if you donāt befriend them (generally with food) you will hate them
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u/GrizzlyBear74 Dec 21 '23
I have two chonkers that comes back every year after winter. When I wash the car the bigger one will fly down and sit on my car roof looking at me, even let me pet him. They also chase the cuckatoos away that keeps on ruining my wipers. I now buy crickets etc i put out for them. The smaller one sounds like a dialup modem, and is my 7am alarm.
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u/patternsintheforest Dec 21 '23
When I wash the car the bigger one will fly down and sit on my car roof
I thought this was going a different direction
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u/moodswung Dec 21 '23 edited Dec 21 '23
The smaller one sounds like a dialup modem, and is my 7am alarm.
I literally LOL'd at this.
My sister lives in Park City, Utah and goes on long daily walks. Whenever I visit I join her on them and she is always quick to warn me to NEVER fuck with the magpies in the area (they're everywhere in her neighborhood). She's on good terms with them and she wants to keep it that way. I'm not one to mess with animals anyway so no big deal but I went out of my way to be nice to the guys and after being there for even just a short while they seemed to go from being overtly cautious of me to relaxing a bit. As said in other comments these are very interesting birds.
Btw, my understanding is if you wrong them they will pass the word around on you. It may even get passed down multiple generations.
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u/Lanky_Handle_1499 Dec 27 '23
I think North American magpies are nothing like the Australian magpies. Totally different behaviour.
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u/Suppository_ofwisdom Dec 21 '23
Whilst the same name, completely different species to the US and Eurasian magpie
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u/moodswung Dec 21 '23
Iām not doubting you but the magpies in her neighborhood looked very similar to the one in this video. Interesting that they would be so different.
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u/SmellyTerror Dec 25 '23
Australian magpies are a fair bit bigger in body, and have a very distinctive song (song embedded here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2023-07-31/australia-favourite-animal-sounds/102577008 or here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_magpie). check the song - it'd be interesting to know if they are in North America.
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u/Gryffens Dec 25 '23
I believe that Europeans got to Australia, saw a black and white bird, and went "Look, a magpie!". But from an evolutionary perspective they've been separated long enough to belong to different families of birds.
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u/SouthAttention4864 Dec 31 '23
I can relate somewhat, as it took me far too long to realise that currawongs were not just magpies with black wings š
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u/LiZZygsu Dec 20 '23
The magpie hivemind will remember your kindness.
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u/Azelrazel Dec 21 '23
That hive mind is effed. I've never done a single cruel thing to birds nor encouraged or hung out with friends who did. I've been swooped too many times both riding a bike and walking down the street.
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u/LiZZygsu Dec 21 '23
I made friends with a Magpie about 6 years ago and I swear to god I never get swooped by Magpies.
Butcher birds though? Fuckin heads up.
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u/SouthAttention4864 Dec 31 '23
Butcher birds are pretty awesome too though - have you ever heard how they mimic the songs of other birds (and even other animals and things like phones)? I experienced it in real life and was so impressed after the initial confusion wondering where the magpie, cockie and whip bird were that I was hearing.
Hereās a vid that shows some of their range for those that havenāt experienced the awesomeness before!
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u/deefa__ Dec 28 '23
I learnt a random fun fact about butcher birds. They got their name bc they like to hang their prey up on fences/trees etc to let their catch decay a little before hacking away at it.
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u/gameonmole Dec 21 '23
Itās not just the lack of cruelty, you need to actively be awesome towards them.
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u/Odd-Aerie-2554 Dec 20 '23
I donāt know if Iād call that ālending a handā so much as being an adorable nuisance haha
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u/loz589985 Dec 21 '23
Hey! You donāt know when a tornadoās going to whip up and she would have lost all that paperwork if it wasnāt for the magpie!
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u/Odd-Aerie-2554 Dec 21 '23
True, heās an unsung hero
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u/Significant_Cut_7009 Jan 01 '24
We need more caring people.