Most Australians only notice magpies once a year, during ‘swooping season’. For a few weeks, local magpies appear to launch random attacks on passers-by. But maybe we’re only seeing one side of it.

In this episode - why humans should learn to listen better to these intelligent birds. Blair hears from Gisela Kaplan - a Professor of Animal Behaviour who’s spent over 25 years rehabilitating native birds at her home on the south eastern coast of Australia. Gisela introduces us to a different, unexpected side of the Australian magpie.

In Animal, writer and adventurer Blair Braverman presents stories exploring the curious and fascinating ways humans relate to other animals - from magpies to spiders to creatures of the deepest oceans.

Producer and Sound Designer: Arlie Adlington
Co-Producer: Jesse Lawson
Executive Producer: Steven Rajam
Sound Mixing: Arlie Adlington
Series Art: Cameron Hay

An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4 Show less