Experts weigh in on whether or not it’s OK to feed magpies

Magpie season is well and truly upon us and Aussies may find the winged creatures are stopping by their backyards or balconies more often.
Many may feel tempted to feed their feathered friends but is it actually OK to do so? 
The NSW government says that as a blanket rule it is not OK to feed wildlife but one passionate bird expert is of a different belief.
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According to a NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service spokesperson, the “NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) does not recommend feeding native birds and other wildlife in backyards” for four main reasons. 
Firstly, Aussies may be inclined to feed wildlife certain foods that “aren’t part of an animal’s natural diet” and “can make them sick”.
Animals fed by people may lose their ability to forage for natural foods and “animals that expect to be fed by people can become aggressive, harassing people for food when they are hungry”.
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Hand-feeding can also result in the transfer of illness both to and from the animal, according to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service spokesperson.
“It is better that people attract birds to their gardens by planting locally native shrubs to encourage nectar-feeding birds, and building nest boxes or birdhouses,” they said.
While the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has a hard and fast rule, Dr Gráinne Cleary, bird expert and author of Why Do Birds Do That?, feels differently.
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“It’s not a simple question of whether or not you should or shouldn’t feed magpies or any bird for that matter. It’s about a person’s relationship with the animals and the wildlife that visit their back garden,” she says.
Cleary says there are many people across Australia who will build connections with the magpies in their area – whether it’s a magpie who makes a home in their backyard or pops by on their balcony to say hello.
Feeding them is a way that they can connect. And she believes telling them to stop isn’t the best approach.
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“It’s not about whether or not you should or you shouldn’t. That is a very personal choice – but there are guidelines around how to do it correctly and how to do it without damaging the bird,” she says.
She believes that rather than discouraging people from feeding them at all, it is important to educate them to do it right. 
“If you’re going to feed them, feed them correctly,” she says. “There is correct food that you can feed a magpie.”
Cleary says the best foods to feed a magpie visitor are crickets or mealworms, which you can buy in pet stores. But for those who may find that a bit squeamish she says there are decent bird seed mixes that you can buy (she recommends a brand called Wombaroo) or “even fortified dried dog food”.
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As for the foods you should avoid feeding magpies, Cleary says minced meat, cheese and bread are ones to stay away from as there’s no nutritional benefit in them. 
She also says it’s important not to overfeed them so the birds don’t become dependent. So, she suggests feeding a magpie every second or third time they visit rather than every time. 
But as for whether magpies will lose their ability to forage for natural foods, Cleary says “magpies are way too smart for that”.
And when it comes to birds becoming more aggressive if they become conditioned to expect food, Cleary says this isn’t something she’s heard of. 
“But if that’s something that somebody’s worried about, what they can do is decrease the amount of food they give them,” she says.
Instead people could “slowly reduce the amount of food and then do it every second day and just slowly, slowly take it away and the bird will get the message. Yes, my advice is to keep friends with the bird.”
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