He died of his injuries on Sunday evening. Witnesses told Nine News the magpie was swooping at another cyclist when Mr Seaman became distracted and ran off the path, which local residents say is a notorious spot for magpie attacks. Nathan Foster, whose wife was the cyclist being attacked, said: "His eyes were off the track because he was concerned about the magpie swooping [down on] him ... and he just went over the fence and sustained some pretty bad injuries." Officers from Wollongong Police District are investigating, and a report will be prepared for the coroner. The tragedy has reignited debate about the management of aggressive magpies during swooping season. A particularly aggressive magpie was destroyed by Sydney's Hills Shire Council last month, sparking outrage among some members of the community.

A sign warning of swooping magpies near the scene of the tragedy at Woonona. Credit:Robert Peet Magpies are a protected species in NSW, and councils will only relocate or remove the birds with approval from the National Parks and Wildlife Service if they pose a significant safety risk. A spokeswoman for Hills Shire Council said it had received 40 complaints about the magpie and it was "determined to be a significant risk to public safety" by NPWS. "Council does not usually take action to remove or destroy magpies – the usual procedure is to signpost known risk areas as birds are generally only aggressive for four to six weeks per year," she said. Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said magpies were a protected species in the state and were part of the natural environment, and there were no plans to remove the bird involved with Sunday's tragedy.

"People can report swooping birds and council can install signage," he said. "We don't want people to become vigilantes and remove the birds." Mark Lawrie, chief executive of the Sydney University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, said it was "pretty much impossible" to stop magpies from aggressive swooping once they have learnt the behaviour. "It’s a repeat behaviour from individual birds, not the whole magpie clan," he said. "Certain birds learn to attack and swoop, and [it's] probably like the barking dog with someone walking past the property; because the people go away, they think they’ve been successful, so it reinforces the behaviour." Magpies also "seem to be able to recognise individuals who are aggressive to them" and will target them, Dr Lawrie said.