An Australian cyclist has died after an aggressive magpie attacked him and caused him to fatally crash.

Witnesses to the attack in Wollongong, south of Sydney, said that the cyclist was startled by the assault, veered off a cycle path to avoid the bird, hit a fence post and was thrown to the ground, suffering fatal head injuries.

The bird involved is known to have been aggressive before and is known locally as “Swoop Dog”, after the American rapper.

The 76-year-old’s death comes a fortnight after a Sydney council shot another Australian magpie after it developed a loathing for cyclists and caused one man to suffer a heart attack. Male birds are known to become territorial in spring around their nests.

The Magpie Alert website,