pedestrian magpies attack only certain people. “That’s the other big thing we discovered,” says Jones. “These birds recognize individuals. They live in a little territory and they never leave it, so they know every human that lives around the place. They see kids growing up, and they remember them. These birds are very, very smart. They’re watching us and interpreting our behavior.” The magpies live on average for twenty years and can remember up to thirty human faces for about that long, says Jones, “so if you anger a magpie once, you’re going to get attacked again and again.”
