The Deadliest Birds Alive Today

Sometimes exposure is what matters when it comes to danger. Because people are more frequently around magpies, injuries from magpies happen far more frequently than injuries from, say, cassowaries. In fact, one particularly aggressive Australian magpie was shot after 40 complaints, per the BBC.

So, when it comes to danger, a magpie probably isn't going to kill you. A magpie probably isn't going to kill anyone. But if you're hurt by a bird, the odds are more likely that it was a magpie than virtually any other bird.

In fact, there's an entire phenomenon known as "magpie swooping season." During magpie swooping season, well, the magpies swoop. This, again, is due to nesting behavior — but it also means that you need to make sure that you're 50 meters (164 feet) away from any nests. Quite the ask when you might not even know when those nests are.

Australians are cautioned to travel in groups, use umbrellas, and otherwise fend off the magpies however they can — after all, the magpie deserve to bear their young too.