5-Month-Old Baby Dies From Fall Injuries After Mother Ducked Magpie Dive-Bombing At Infant

A 5-month-old baby girl in Australia died from fall injuries after the infant's mother ducked a dive-bombing magpie in an attempt to protect the child.

The tragic incident happened in a park in Brisbane on Sunday. The deceased infant, identified as Mia, was in her mother's arms when a magpie swooped at her while they were in the park.

The infant's mother, Simone, tripped over and fell with the child when she tried to protect the infant from the aggressive magpie. Mia was critically injured from the fall and rushed to a hospital but did not survive, NY Daily News reported.

The family and friends are shocked by the untimely death of the infant and fondly remember her as their "little ray of sunshine." "The joy Mia brought to all of our lives cannot be described in words, but is certainly felt in all of our hearts," the grieving family wrote on the GoFundMe page created to support the infant's parents Jacob and Simone.

"No words can begin to describe the torture Jacob and Simone are going through. A life cut so short, much sooner than any one of us expected. Mia was and forever will be the light of Jacob and Simone’s lives."

The magpie that lived in the park has since been carted off into the bush, authorities said Tuesday. Magpies can grow up to 15 inches long and are aggressive in defending their nests especially during the breeding season that runs from July to December.

Kim Marx, Brisbane City Standards Chair, said an investigation into the incident was underway. "This is an extremely tragic accident and our hearts go out to the family involved,” Marx said, as reported by 7 News.com.au.

“A number of signs warning about swooping birds were in place around the area where this incident occurred, and our officers have now installed several more. An exclusion zone has been established at the site,” she added.

A total of 213 swooping attacks from magpies were recorded in 2021, according to a local magpie alert site in Australia. Out of this, 88 cases were reported from Queensland.