Australians are always told ‘don’t feed the birds’ – if you really must, here’s how to do it properly

Magpies both delight and terrify Australians. Experts warn our relationships with wild creatures can be wonderful for us but problematic for them. Photograph: Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images

In an ordinary Melbourne suburb, three magpies are eating small morsels off the ground. But there’s something a little strange. One bird flicks its tongue rhythmically in and out like a lizard – though a bird’s tongue is usually tucked away, hidden from sight. After a while, something else becomes clear: the magpie is picking the food up with short, moving stumps. The magpie has no beak.

This is a scene from a video filmed by a member of the public. It demonstrates a grim truth: that there are life and death consequences of feeding our wild birds.