‘One for sorrow, two for joy…’

When many of us were growing up the sight of a magpie was a cue to either salute or launch into a superstitious nursery rhyme – but if some had their way we should instead be reaching for a trap and a gun.

The issue of whether magpies are simply the mischievous rascals of the bird world or something altogether more sinister has been raging in the press in recent days.

On the one side are the Countryside Alliance, never ones to shy away from controversy, and an organisation called Songbird Survival which was set up to protect linnets, bullfinches, yellow hammers and other garden visitors. Both claim that magpies are responsible for the decline of songbirds because they steal chicks and eggs from other birds’ nest, and are urging the public to take matters into their own hands by trapping and killing the birds.

But this is a bit like blaming the current global recession on a few petty thieves and pickpockets.

All the research shows that, while magpies do take young birds and eggs, there is no strong evidence that this is responsible for the catastrophic declines we have seen in songbird populations.

The real issue is much more complicated and cannot be solved simply by blasting away at a few magpies. The intensification of modern farming and the loss of habitats in urban areas are the real culprit here and dealing with these complex issues requires a much longer term view and a lot more sensitivity.

 Aside from the fact that a large scale cull of magpies would simply not make any real difference to songbird population, it would also be illegal and would draw attention away from the serious wider issue.

So let’s stick to saluting these cheeky birds instead of lining them up for a pointless mass slaughter.