An Australian man has died after he was startled by a magpie and crashed his bicycle, local police says.
The 76-year-old was cycling in a park south of Sydney on Sept. 15 morning local time when he veered off to avoid a swooping magpie, reported Australia’s ABC News. He crashed into a fence post and was thrown to the ground, suffering serious head injuries.
He was treated by some Good Samaritans at the scene before being airlifted to a nearby hospital in a critical condition.
Despite medical efforts, the man died that night.
Australia has entered what’s known as the “magpie swooping season”, during which magpies, especially males, can become aggressive and attack cyclists and pedestrians who venture near their nests.
“Getting in a magpie’s way in breeding season between August and October can be terrifying,” says New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service. “A magpie will swoop over your head, clacking its beak to freak you out. Usually this is just a slightly over-the-top warning, so don’t panic. But if you’re one of the unlucky ones (or the bird just doesn’t like you), it might actually hit you.”
According to Magpie Alert, a website that tracks swooping magpie incidents around Australia, at least 7 people have been swooped while riding bikes in the past weeks in the Wollongong area where the Sept. 15 attack took place.
In a statement released the day after the incident, Wollongong City Council says signs have been placed around the area where magpies are nesting, and they will be placing additional signs and decals to alert people to the swooping birds.
“Magpies are protected birds in New South Wales,” reads the statement. “While for most of the year they are not aggressive, they will swoop to protect their territory during their nesting period, which is generally between August and October.”
Earlier this month, a local Sydney council sparked controversy after it put down a “monster” magpie which had intimidated residents for years, reported Australia’s ABC News.
This “particularly aggressive” bird was shot by the council after more than 40 complaints, the council said. It had attacked several people in the Hills Shire, sending some to hospital. One resident said he suffered a heart attack following an attack.
