8‑year-old Aussie girl's study reveals bald men are magpie's favorite target

Emma Glenfield, an Australian resident, is just eight years old but has already made a compelling scientific discovery. She grew fascinated by the magpies visiting her locality. Over some time, she meticulously observed them, jotting down noteworthy incidents, which led to her formulating a theory that took the world by surprise!

Emma nicknamed one of the magpies ‘Mr. Swoopsalot’ as this troublesome bird attacked children and adults in her neighborhood. Emma noticed that these birds consistently assaulted from above. This behavior intrigued her, leading her to question her teacher. Instead of providing an answer, he used this question as an opportunity to assign a unique math project to the entire class.

Emma embarked on field research based on her observations. For her pilot study, she chose Blue Mountains Middle School, the regular haunt of Mr. Swoopsalot. Initially, she discreetly observed the bird and documented the identity of each of its victims. Early on, she recognized a pattern - the victims were typically tall men with sparse hair.

Remaining curious, with her mother's assistance, she created an online survey with a QR code and requested her close friends and teachers to participate. While the questionnaire included standard questions about age, height, and appearance, the most significant question revolved around incidents involving Mr. Swoopsalot. 150 people from her community completed the survey, and an astounding 30,000 internet users from around the globe.

Unfamiliar with Excel and data representation, Emma visualized her results through Lego blocks. The Lego bars clearly illustrated that magpies tend to attack men with less hair. Ornithologists and researchers emphasize that this is the first instance of research being conducted on magpies' reactions to specific human appearances. Given the extensive participation in this study, there's reason to believe that the findings hold weight, further supporting the theory that magpies are selective in choosing their victims.

Emma was encouraged to participate in a mathematics competition because of her analytical capability and knack for thinking outside the box. Following her teachers’ predictions, Emma outperformed her competitors and achieved first place in her age group. This young researcher aims to motivate her peers to critically investigate subjects they are passionate about, establishing science as engaging and beneficial.

We look forward to seeing what other scientific explorations Emma will undertake.