The City of Stirling will apply for a licence to kill a magpie that has attacked small children at a Trigg park in recent days.

The council took action after attacks in Clarko Reserve left two Perth children with severe eye injuries and others with scratched faces.

City of Stirling parks and sustainability manager Ian Hunter confirmed yesterday the council would apply to the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions to eradicate the offending bird.

He said if the behaviour continued, the council could consult the department over preventive measures and get a dangerous fauna licence to remove the offending bird.

“If there is evidence of ongoing aggressive behaviour from magpies in a City park or reserve, the City can investigate and work with the Department to discuss preventative measures,” he said.

“On this occasion, the City has determined that recent magpie attacks at Clarko Reserve have been ongoing and of a serious nature and will apply to DBCA for a dangerous fauna licence to remove the offending bird. If approved, DBCA will work with the City to confirm the site and remove the bird.”

Camera Icon Daphne Naussedat, left, and her children, Summer, 9, Lawhana, 20 months, Skylah, 7, and Kaleb, 9, with Lesley Protheroe and her daughter Sienna, 7, at Jim Clarko Reserve. Credit: Nic Ellis

The West Australian yesterday saw the extent of the problem in Clarko Reserve.

Scarborough’s Ange Power was playing in the park with her three young children when her daughter Sophia became a victim of the territorial birds.

A magpie narrowly missed the five-year-old’s eye when it swooped her yesterday, near where two small children were pecked in the eyes just days ago. Sophia escaped serious injury from the attack but her mother said it should serve as a warning to parents to be extra vigilant.

“They are territorial animals,” she said.

“Take adequate precautions, wear sunglasses and hats and look down, not up at the birds.”

Kids risk losing eyesight as magpie swoops again

Lesley Protheroe and Daphne Naussedat, of Dianella, also visited the park with their children yesterday.

They agreed that magpies had become more aggressive in recent years and both said there were places they avoided at this time of year.

“It only happens at certain times of year so we do our best to avoid them, we tell our kids to keep their heads down,” Ms Protheroe said.

Ms Naussedat said Light Street park in Dianella was notorious for aggressive magpies.

No oneThe West Australian spoke to at Clarko Reserve said the offending birds should be killed.

“I don’t think it is worth shooting them. It is their environment,” Ms Power said.

Wildlife biologist Bill Bateman, from Curtin University’s school of molecular and life sciences, said magpies could be aggressive between June and December but now was peak swooping time because the male birds were defending the eggs or young in their nests.

He said magpies were less likely to be aggressive once the babies were running around on the ground and the males’ high levels of testosterone from breeding lowered.

“Most attacks people probably don’t notice because it’s a swoop that’s above our head from behind and they don’t even make contact, they’re swooping as warning,” Dr Bateman said.

“But it is little consolation to someone who is attacked and injured.

“They’re quite large birds with sharp beaks and their way of defending the nest is to fly at what they perceive is the danger and go for the eyes.”

He said children were more susceptible because they were often running around and making a lot of noise.

“Magpies also get very irate by bikes… the radius of attack from a tree is much bigger if a bike goes past, they don’t like them,” he said.

Camera Icon Cyclist Harvey Protheroe has been swooped by magpies. Credit: Nic Ellis

He said while attacks could come out of nowhere, he encouraged people to wear sunglasses and wide brim hats and avoid known the nests of known aggressive birds during the peak breeding season.

“If there’s a magpie swooping in your local park, it’s probably best to find another park for a few weeks to avoid it,” he said. “It’s probably no use removing the nest because another magpie family or male could take the tree and could cause the same problems.”

He said cyclists swooped by a magpie should get off and push their bicycle for a few hundred metres until they were out of the way.