Clever eight-year-old discovers why magpies only swoop some people

It's an age-old question in Australia - why do magpies swoop some people and not others?

Everyone has their own theories, whether it be the birds are protecting their young, or attracted to something shiny they see on their target.

But one eight-year-old girl from the NSW Blue Mountains used her smarts to develop a study to determine once and for all, what the real cause is.

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Emma Glenfield noticed there was a magpie at her school in Katoomba, 'Mr Swoops-a-lot', that only targeted the dads during school pick-up and drop-off.

So when she asked her teacher why that might be, they suggested she conduct a survey to try and find the answer.

The Year Three student did not muck about with her research, surveying an incredible 30,000 people on the subject and using maps and graphs to support her research.

She addressed height, weight, hairstyle and gender and whether or not the person actually likes magpies (do the birds just hold a personal grudge?).

And Emma's research backed up what experts have predicted all along.

"They swoop so that they can protect their babies,' she told Today.

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And for all those men out there who may be thinning on top, Emma had some bad news as well, confirming why it was mostly the dads at her school who were being swooped.

She found that men who were balding were more likely to be swooped.

"Also women with hats and stuff," she said.

The study found, not only men who were balding, but also those who were taller and overweight were more likely to be targeted.

See the full chat with Emma and her mum in the video above