Magpie swoops in to claim title as Australia's favourite bird

The Australian magpie has taken out the title of Australia's favourite bird.

File image of the Australian magpie Source: AAP

The Australian magpie has swooped in to claim the title of the nation's favourite bird.

In a win, which may shock anyone who's been swooped by the bird, the magpie topped the 2017 Bird of the Year poll run by BirdLife Australia and The Guardian newspaper.

The magpie, with 19,926 votes from the public topped the vote, with the Australian white ibis, fondly known as the bin chicken, coming in at second with 12 per cent of the vote, followed by the kookaburra.

Despite more than 13.3 per cent of the votes, social media users were surprised the magpie - notorious for swooping walkers and cyclists - topped the list.

The vote was even called Australia's "Trump moment".