Man's Plan To Deter Birds From Yard Hilariously Backfires: 'Magpie God'

People have been left in stitches after a man's plan to deter birds in his yard hilariously backfired.

In a video on TikTok with over 7 million views, user @givlivs_x shared how he had created a fake owl to try and get rid of the magpies in his yard—but instead, he accidentally created a "magpie god."

The video's text overlay explained the situation. It read: "That time I made a paper mâché owl to scare away magpies, but they just began to worship it instead," before @givlivs_x added in the caption: "I accidentally made a Magpie god."

A DIY owl is sat just outside the window where three of the birds had taken to the fake owl, looking up at it and even making noises toward it.

Documenting the unintended consequences of his owl creation, TikTok user @givlivs_x noticed an increasingly elaborate series of rituals performed by the magpies. The birds, instead of being scared away, seemed to be forming a congregation around the paper mâché owl.

While it may seem unusual, creating your own owl to deter unwanted birds isn't a terrible idea. In fact, fake owls are often used to deter birds and rodents from properties.

It works because owls are natural predators of many smaller birds and rodents, so these animals will naturally be more hesitant to enter an area being guarded by an owl.

There are several reasons to want to deter magpies, known for their noise and ability to cause damage to plants or smaller birds. Magpies are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the United States, but there are plenty of humane ways to deal with the unwanted black and white visitors.

While the DIY owl may not have worked, other experts suggest scare tactics, such as hanging old CDs or using moving objects like wind socks or streamers.

Amused by the unusual turn of events, more than 10,000 people shared their reactions in the comments on TikTok—and many pointed out that the fake owl looked mysteriously like a magpie itself.

"What were you expecting when you basically made an alpha magpie," said FatalInsomniac. Jay wrote: "It's a biblically accurate magpie."

Wolfina2 said: "I think they're laughing at it," and MrShirts wrote: "That owl is folk art."

Paper mâché owls aren't the only thing that causes some strange behavior in birds. Earlier this year, scientists discovered that space storms have a weird effect on birds too. Scientists found that migratory birds across the world stay on the ground during space weather events when they would normally be flying.

Newsweek reached out to @givlivs_x via TikTok for comment.