A large hawk became trapped in the front grille of a car in Northern California and astonishingly survived a 200-mile journey before the driver spotted it while stopping for gas.
On Sunday, the Weed Police Department reported that they received a call about a driver at a Chevron gas station in Weed who discovered a bird ensnared in their car’s grille.
“When the call came in, I told them to just remove it, assuming it was a sparrow. The caller said, no, it’s an eagle. So I said, don’t touch it, and we will send officers out,” the Weed Police dispatch informed The California Post.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife arrived at the scene and successfully extracted the bird—identified as a juvenile red-tailed hawk—from the vehicle. Officials confirmed that the bird’s wings were intact, according to the ABC10 report.
A video captures the dramatic rescue as officers delicately freed the bird, releasing its wings.
According to the police department, the hawk was hit at the I-5 and 505 interchange near Dunnigan and traveled to the small town, lodged in the car, before being noticed—an almost 3-hour journey.
Witness Wendy Wertenberger, who observed the situation at the gas station, initially feared the worst when she approached the vehicle.
“I walked up to the car thinking the worst, but the bird itself was very calm and trusting,” Wertenberger told the outlet.
“They managed to dislodge the wing from the grille of the car and then very gently placed it into a box.”
“I thought for sure it was a goner, but it was blinking and looking around calmly,” she shared in a Facebook post.
The young hawk is currently receiving care at a wildlife rehabilitation facility, as reported.
Officials informed the outlet that the hawk did not have any broken bones in its legs or wings and only experienced mild swelling from the car impact.
CDFW officials reported that the bird’s outlook is positive.
The California Post has reached out to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for further information.
