New Aussie app helps cyclists avoid magpie swooping hotspots

A new Australian-built app is helping cyclists, runners and walkers steer clear of one of spring’s most dreaded hazards: swooping magpies.

Developed in Melbourne by local couple Naz and Burak Kaya, Magpie Radar maps reported magpie attacks and can suggest safer routes around known hotspots before users head out.

The idea came after Naz Kaya was swooped while walking with the couple’s three-year-old daughter last spring.

“Last spring I was walking with our three-year-old daughter when a magpie swooped and clipped me,” Kaya said.

“After that I started asking around, and it turned out almost everyone we know had a story, a few with actual eye injuries.

A peer-reviewed analysis at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (2006–2022) reported that 40% of bird-related eye injuries were attributed to magpies, and magpie-larks accounted for 6%.

“My partner Burak and I aren’t really tech people, we just wanted a simple way to know where the swooping birds were before we left the house. So we built it ourselves.”

For cyclists, the couple’s app offers a practical way to check regular riding routes before rolling out.

Users can view reported swooping hotspots nearby or enter a planned route, with the app highlighting risk areas and suggesting alternatives if recent attacks have been reported.

One example provided by the team shows Melbourne’s busy St Kilda Road cycling corridor already containing three reported risk zones, with swooping incidents logged as recently as this month.

The app, available for Android and Apple, launched earlier this year and is compatible with Apple Watch, allowing users to check for nearby hazards without reaching for their phone.

While peak swooping season typically arrives in spring, Kaya said reports are already appearing.

“It’s genuinely exceeded what we expected,” she said.

“We’ve seen a real spike in downloads, and people have already started adding reported locations even though swooping season hasn’t officially started yet in most areas.

“A handful of magpies seem to be territorial or defensive year-round rather than just in spring, so we’re already seeing a few active reports on the map.”

The app relies on community reports, with users logging swooping locations to build an up-to-date map of hotspots. As more reports are submitted, route recommendations become increasingly accurate.

For regular riders who already know the notorious birds on their local loop, the app provides an easy way to check whether new hotspots have emerged elsewhere, particularly when riding unfamiliar roads or planning longer routes.

Magpie swooping season generally runs from August to October, with cyclists among the birds’ most frequent targets due to their speed and the larger territory they cover.

You can download it for yourself here.