Loading... Please wait...Every spring, the Australian magpie transforms from a respectable backyard bird into what feels like a tiny feathered fighter pilot. Cyclists suddenly become aerial targets, joggers perfect the art of sprinting while waving their arms, and pedestrians discover that wearing sunglasses on the back of their head is apparently a legitimate survival strategy. Despite their fearsome reputation, only a small percentage of magpies actually swoop, and they're usually just defending their nests. Still, nothing raises your heart rate quite like hearing the unmistakable flap of wings behind your head and wondering whether you've accidentally wandered into the wrong postcode.