The southside suburbs of Coorparoo, Carindale and Runcorn are the top three areas in Brisbane where you are most likely to be swooped by a magpie.
The Brisbane City Council has released its top 10 swooping suburbs for 2025-26 in the lead-up to peak breading season from July to January.
The Council has received 311 calls about swooping birds from magpies to plovers during the past 12 months. Wildlife experts relocated 18 birds in total.
More than half of those incidents were recorded during September and October.
Coorparoo recorded the most swooping activity (14), followed by Carindale (12), and Runcorn (9).
The results are a shift from last year’s top three hotspots of New Farm, Brighton, and Forest Lake.
The Council advises to reduce the risk of being swooped:
- Avoid known hotspots, stay calm, and wear a hat or carry an umbrella
- Do not deliberately provoke birds as this may make them more aggressive
- Do not destroy nests as the birds may re-nest and extend the breeding season
- Do not feed or try to befriend swooping birds.
Residents can report swooping birds by searching “Swooping birds” on the Council’s website.
