Last updated: August 11, 2023 at 20:29 pm
Magpies are often known for the loud noises they make, especially in the summertime. The name “magpie” itself stems from the name Margaret, which is a colloquial feminine name that’s associated with someone who is chatty. The birds most certainly live up to this name!
There are several reasons why magpies make so much noise, and there are also different reasons depending on other times of the day and so on.
In this article:
We will go over these reasons and the ways in which you can control this issue.
IN THIS ARTICLE
Why Are Magpies So Noisy?
1. High Intelligence
Believe it or not, magpies are extremely intelligent birds. They have communication skills that are like that of humans, in the way that they can communicate with other magpies and even go so far as to be able to tell when another magpie is lying.
As a result, they are loud and constantly making noise.
2. Noisy Magpies in the Morning
You might notice that magpies are particularly noisy in the morning instead of during the day. The reason for this is that magpies are highly active birds. They’re constantly moving and searching for food.
They’re smart animals and will often be found looking through piles of rubbish, and trash cans, or rummaging certain areas in search of their next bit of food. The loud noises that they make when they’re searching for food will typically stop once they’ve found some.
If there’s loose food in your area or there are bins that aren’t covered over, you’ll experience loud magpies around the area as they can smell the food from miles away. They typically search for fruit, nuts, seeds, insects, and small rodents.
You’ll be glad to know that the noises they make throughout the day will be much quieter than in the morning and even in the evening. The noise they make throughout the day is softer. This is because of the birds finding food for themselves and their young ones.
3. Mating Calls
One of the main reasons why magpies are so loud is because they are trying to attract a mate with this noise. Magpies are known to mate for life.
So:
It’s an important task for them and they’ll often start to do this early in the morning, once they’ve woken up.
Similarly, the female magpie initiates this pair bond by begging for food from the male magpie, which begins the courtship feeding. This process is usually quite loud and annoying to the human ear.
Researchers have found that female magpies make more mating calls than male magpies and do so at much higher frequencies. They can reach extremely high decibels.
Related: 5 Reasons Why Seagulls Are So Noisy
4. Unique Voice Box
Another reason why magpies make so much noise is due to their unique voice box. They have a special voice box that is very different from other birds, which is located at the very top of their throats.
The location of their voice box is relevant when discussing this topic because it means that any noise, they make is amplified, thus, making their noises louder than other birds. Interestingly, areas that are full of magpies mean that songbirds will stay away from that area.
Along with this, young magpies use noise as a survival strategy. They make loud noises to remind their parents to feed them and to scare off any predators. Young magpies do this but so do older magpies to mark their territory and protect their children.
It is typical of male magpies to patrol the nest and make loud screeching noises at any predators. Magpies are born making loud screeching noises and follow in their parent’s footsteps in this way.
Along with this, magpies are not songbirds like a lot of other types of birds are. Because of this, the noise that magpies omit may be considered more annoying than other melodies that other birds omit. They don’t “sing” as such but rather, they screech.
5. Living in Groups
Magpies live in large groups and can often be found in these large groups of other magpies, speaking to each other. When they’re together, they make loud noises in order to communicate with each other and similarly, to find each other.
So:
If you hear loud noises coming from a group of magpies, you’ll know they’re communicating with each other or with their own children.
Magpies are not afraid to confront other birds and will often scare away smaller birds in their large groups. They will compete with these birds for whatever food is available.
How to Deal with Magpie Noise
There are a few ways that you can ethically deal with the issue of magpies making loud noises around your area.
- Make sure that your garden is clean because if you have rubbish and food lying around, magpies will be more attracted to your garden in search of food. They also remember where they found food and will leave your area alone if they don’t tend to find any food there on a regular basis. Along with this, get rid of any birdbaths if you want to banish magpies from your garden.
- Similarly, make sure your bins are covered completely so that magpies can’t smell them and start to rummage around in search of food. This is a massive attraction for magpies and will make them screech loudly wherever your bins are kept. Again, they’ll stop coming near the bins if they’re covered and unable to omit any smell.
- Make sure to cover any fruit trees for a while as magpies will flock to your garden if you have these. Aa great tip is to trim your trees to avoid magpies nesting in the thick foliage of your trees.
- Another safe way to ensure magpies aren’t hanging around your house/garden making loud noises is to plant some bird deterrent plants in your area to keep magpies away. Most birds don’t like mint plants, marigolds, or lavender. If you plant these in your garden, all birds, including magpies, will leave you alone! An extra measure would be to plant cactus or rose bushes. The prickly effect will bother magpies and deter them from coming back.
- A great idea would be to hang reflective objects, such as CDs, from trees in your garden. This will scare away some magpies but may not work for all of them. They typically don’t like how the light looks when it reflects off a shiny surface. Decoy owls can always work in this way.
- If you really struggle with loud magpie noises, you could invest in an ultrasonic bird repeller. The purpose of this device is that it emits a high-frequency noise (sound wave) that birds don’t like so they’ll avoid the area. You can purchase these devices online or at your local hardware store and they’re usually affordable.
- Bird spikes would be a final option for deterring magpies from making loud noises around your house. But, make sure that you install them correctly so that they don’t hurt the birds. If installed incorrectly, you can hurt or even kill local birds, so be careful with this option.
Where there are magpies, there will be noise. They’re a loud and chatty species by nature so the only way to control the noise is to make sure they stay clear of your area.
