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Birding/Magpie - too friendly!
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Question
Hi Roger
A young adult magpie appeared in our garden yesterday afternoon (England, UK)& to our amazement seemed incredibly tame & fed from our hands. Moist dog mixer biscuits & small pieces of chicken left over from our Greyhound! We have magpies in our garden & these biscuits do seem very popular with all the birds that visit.
Then, 2 adult magpies started attacking it. Would it be a territorial issue or bad parents? I ran next door & rescued him/her?! My question is Roger, is there any way we can re-introduce him/her into the wild without risk of danger? As I write, he/she is taking bits of bread & butter from my partners hand through the bars of a large parrot cage we bought him/her, along with a rope toy, cuttlefish, millet & special mynah bird food. Is very alert, happy, chatty & eating & pooing well... the bird! Are we doing the right thing please & do you have any words of advice for us, or the bird!!? Thanks allot.
The best thing to do is release him/her immediately. The more he/she is in captivity and gets used to humans the worse he/she will do in the wild. Bread and butter is not good food either. Take him/her some distance away from your home and release him/her - that is its best chance for survival. Thanks for your concern.
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Answers by Expert:
Roger Lederer
Expertise
Any and all about WILD birds - the science of ornithology. Information about birdwatching, ecology, conservation, migration, behavior, banding, rehabilitation, feeding, songs, binoculars, identification, and careers in ornithology. No questions about pet or caged birds, please.
Experience
Have a PhD and over forty years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, three bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 90 countries watching birds.
Education/Credentials
PhD in Zoology/Ornithology; Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences; former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at California State University, Chico
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