Magpies are highly adaptable birds frequently seen in urban and suburban environments. While their intelligence and striking appearance are notable, their noisy calls, predatory habits, and general mess often lead homeowners to seek deterrence methods. Successfully encouraging magpies to relocate requires strategies focused on making a property unappealing and inaccessible. The most effective long-term solutions are humane, non-lethal, and rely on modifying the immediate environment.
Eliminating Attractants
The foundation of any successful magpie deterrence strategy involves removing the incentives that draw these opportunistic omnivores. Magpies are primarily attracted by readily available food sources, including outdoor pet food left exposed. Securing all outdoor pet bowls immediately after feeding removes this easy caloric source.
Unsecured household garbage is another significant attractant, as magpies tear into bags to access scraps. All refuse containers should be fitted with tightly locking or weighted lids to prevent access. Minimizing spillage beneath bird feeders is important, or switch to smaller seed varieties like nyjer or finely crushed sunflower hearts, which are less appealing to magpies.
Magpies also use standing water for drinking and bathing. Water sources like unattended bird baths or poorly draining areas should be regularly emptied or removed. Fallen fruit should be promptly cleared from the ground, as decaying produce offers an additional food source. Eliminating these easy meals and water sources reduces the property’s value as a foraging site.
Implementing Physical Barriers
Once attractants are removed, the next step is to physically obstruct magpie access to specific high-value areas, such as vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and preferred nesting or roosting spots. Exclusion netting is a highly effective, non-harmful method for protecting vulnerable plants and crops. A mesh size of approximately 50 millimeters is recommended, as this prevents access while posing a minimal risk of entanglement.
The netting must be installed tautly and secured tightly around the perimeter, especially at the base of fruit trees or over garden beds. For larger areas, a dedicated frame should support the netting, ensuring it forms a complete, tent-like structure. This exclusion method works by physical obstruction, preventing the birds from landing or walking on the protected surfaces.
On structures, anti-roosting devices can be employed on ledges, eaves, window sills, or chimney caps to prevent perching and nesting. Anti-roosting spikes do not harm the birds but create an uneven surface that makes comfortable landing impossible. Chimney caps are a simple way to prevent magpies from building their large, domed stick nests inside flues, which can cause blockages and fire hazards.
Utilizing Sensory Deterrents
Sensory deterrents rely on visual and auditory stimuli to frighten or confuse the birds, encouraging them to avoid the treated area. Visual deterrents capitalize on the magpie’s excellent eyesight and its natural wariness of predators and unexpected movement. Reflective materials, such as holographic flash tape or old compact discs, should be hung in problem areas where they spin and flash randomly in the wind and sunlight.
The unpredictable movement and light reflection make the area seem unstable and unsafe, which is a powerful deterrent for intelligent birds. For a more direct threat simulation, realistic predator decoys, such as those resembling owls or hawks, can be placed in visible locations. To prevent the magpies from recognizing the decoy as non-threatening, it is necessary to move it to a new spot every few days.
Auditory deterrents are highly effective, especially those that mimic distress calls from magpies or the hunting cries of their natural predators. Bioacoustic devices broadcast these specific sounds at intervals, creating the perception of immediate danger. Motion-activated sprinklers provide an unexpected burst of water and sound, offering an effective, non-harmful startle response that conditions them to avoid the space.
Understanding Legal and Humane Parameters
Any strategy aimed at magpie control must be conducted within the bounds of wildlife protection laws to ensure humane outcomes and legal compliance. In the United States, magpies are often protected as migratory non-game birds under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This legislation dictates that it is generally unlawful to trap, harm, or kill these birds, or destroy their nests or eggs, without explicit federal authorization.
While the Act permits control measures when magpies are causing a nuisance, this allowance is subject to local and state regulations. Lethal methods, such as trapping or poisoning, are typically illegal without specialized permits from wildlife authorities. Before implementing any control method, it is recommended to consult with local animal control or wildlife agencies to confirm the specific legal status of magpies.
The focus should consistently remain on humane deterrence and exclusion rather than eradication. Employing methods that make the property less appealing or physically inaccessible encourages the magpies to relocate without causing injury or violating wildlife laws. This approach ensures the resolution is both ethical and legally sound.