Why do magpies harass cats and do they retaliate?

Why do magpies harass cats? And why don’t the harassed cats retaliate by attacking the magpies (sometimes they do – see video below)? I am seeing videos of magpies, sometimes a single magpie or a couple, attacking a passive, sleepy cats in back garden and backyards. In the videos that I’ve watched the cat does nothing about it. We are told by ornithologists that domestic cats are wiping out the bird population, so what is going on?

The first point is that magpies harass, annoy and peck at cats because it’s the nesting season and they are attacking predators which may take their young. I guess it’s a sort of proactive, defensive measure against predators to tell them to bugger off. Magpies breed in early April in the UK I am told. You won’t see this form of magpie behavior at other times. Wrong? Please tell me in a comment.

Magpie harasses a ginger tabby cat to protect her offspring during nesting season
Magpie harasses a ginger tabby cat to protect her offspring during nesting season. Screenshot.
Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

Non-retaliation by the magpie-pecked cats?

A Google search does not provide me with an answer to the question as to why the cats often don’t attack the magpies. When you watch the videos, you will notice that the magpies are very cautious about harassing the cats. They approach them sideways so they can jump away very quickly. And they dart in and out. They keep a decent distance between themselves and the cat for self-preservation. They are fully aware of the danger of what they’re doing. They are hard to catch.


I think the point to be made is that the cats do attack magpies sometimes but it’s difficult which puts them off trying. I’ve seen a rather poor-quality video of a magpie harassing a cat. The bird flies off, the cat leaps into the air to grab it. So, it is not one-way traffic in the magpie-to-cat harassing and attacking relationship. I have found the video (see it here also – it’s a Reddit.com posting)

 
My guess for the reason why cats, in general, don’t give the magpies a smack with their paws when they are harassed is because the magpies are too smart. They’ve probably learned that they are wasting their time trying to get them unless they use a lot of effort with little reward. As I said, magpies harass cats in a very smart and defensive way. The cats have learned to not bother to fight back because it’s a waste of energy.

It is probable that magpies are smarter than domestic cats. In a game of wits which is part of the process of magpie harassment, the magpie outsmarts the cat. The cat becomes passive but annoyed as a result. This must lead occasionally to a darting attack by the cat on the magpie.

P.S. I have seen exactly the same interaction between a magpie and a resting fox. Same reasons I guess too.

SOME ARTICLES ON CAT PREDATION OF BIRDS:

Please search using the search box at the top of the site. You are bound to find what you are looking for.

11 thoughts on “Why do magpies harass cats and do they retaliate?”

  1. love magpies as they are like all crows the most beautiful birds on the planet. i am a cat owner and also work for a cat charity and often see magpies harass cats. ive never seen a cat intentionally go after a magpie, they usually just wander a distance away until it goes quieter. as with seagulls a cat would rather not confront a magpie and i’m pretty sure most cats just want a peaceful life and a small inconvenience like being nagged by a magpie is just a minor distraction.

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  2. It’s May 20th, and I’ve just had to save my cat from 5 Magpies.
    They are now sat in the trees opposite the garden watching her.

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  3. I have raised a Magpie chick, he fell out of his nest when too young to stand and with seven cats he didn’t stand a chance…Feisty,his name, is now a year old. He is cautious with the cats he knows but regularly drives them off their food. He actually seems to enjoy pulling their tails and sometimes seems to be playing. He has developed firm freindships with my ponies and chats to them as he walks alongside them.He is quite protective of them and gets aggressive if I scold them. He is also very protective of his food hiding spots and swoops me if I accidently go to close. A little tricky as I don’t know where they are!

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  4. I landed here for the same reason too 🙂 … great post 🙂

    My cat was being tortured by a Magpie couple and unfortunately we found one of their dead body inside the house, so I guess my cat is the prime suspect ..

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    • Yes, magpies push their luck and eventually the cat loses his temper and bingo he attacks. Magpies are very smart. The corvid family of birds (crows and magpies etc.) are as smart as some species of monkey.

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  5. It’s June now amd I’ve just taken a video of my cat appearing to have a conversation with a noisy magpie. I found this post because I was trying to figure out what thw story was.

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    • Hi Jennifer,
      I came here for the same reason, we have a lot of cats in our cul-de-sac and we can’t escape the noise. We just had one out the front having a go at a cat laying blissfully on our bin, my husband told it to sod off and it immediately went to our back garden and started antagonising our cat, husband proceeded to wave it away and then it went to the neighbours garden and started having a go at their cat. Bloody nuisances they are.

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