Woman Makes Owl To Scare Magpies, Accidentally Invents New Bird Religion originally appeared on PetHelpful.
In what might be the most unintentionally hilarious DIY fail of the year, a woman’s attempt to scare away the magpies outside her home with a handmade, paper mache owl turned into an unexpected bird-worshipping ceremony.
TikTok user sarahjane72 shared the video, capturing the moment local magpies gathered around her homemade “owl deterrent”, and appeared to revere it as some sort of glowing green eyed, feathered deity.
Then, they engaged in what appeared to be a spooky ceremony of some sort which just makes me laugh harder the more times I watch it!
Heeeeellllpppp! It’s so funny!!! Those magpies look so reverent! Are they like… bowing? OMG. Too much!
Autumn_Flowers said, ‘I think they have mistaken it for a dead magpie and are upset’ while Leftovercheese lamented that, “Everyone but me is in a cult these days.” Another is like me: ‘I have tears running down my face.’ LOLOL!
Do Owls Really Scare Magpies?
A large Barred Owl in a tree.Shutterstock / Raymond J Carter
Owls are natural predators of many smaller bird species, including magpies. Their presence usually serves as a visual deterrent, warning other birds to stay away from the area.
Science backs it up–sometimes. That’s why humans have been propping fake owls up everywhere from gardens to rooftops for years.
But here’s the catch: Birds: especially magpies, are not dumb. Experts warn that if you leave a fake owl sitting still, they will quickly figure out it’s a total fraud. It’s recommended to regularly move the decoys or rotate them in order to maintain their effectiveness.
Did Sarah’s magpies believe her ruse for a minute? Errr, oh no. I’m laughing again as I’m picturing their weird little ceremony.
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I don’t think they bought into it. What did Sarah’s magpies do? They skipped the fear part, formed a cult, and left the internet howling. The owl is their leader now. You can’t fight nature, especially when it decides to be hilarious.
I’m not adept at these things, but I just might take a shot at crafting my own bird leader. Perhaps I’ll shoot for a demigod to start.
Woman Makes Owl To Scare Magpies, Accidentally Invents New Bird Religion first appeared on PetHelpful on Aug 10, 2025
This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
