A bird found collapsed at London Heathrow Airport with what looked like a badly bent wing turned out to be an unusually lucky wildlife patient.
After an apparent near-miss with a passenger jet, it was taken in for emergency treatment — and exams later revealed some good news.
Here's what to know
According to a TikTok post from Wildlife Aid Foundation (@wildlifeaid), the bird was "found collapsed at Heathrow Airport with a crooked wing after allegedly having a close encounter with a plane" and was rushed in for treatment.
Staff were told the bird had narrowly avoided an easyJet flight headed to Spain. At the clinic, it met the team with "a surprising amount of attitude," pecking and scratching during the examination.
The initial exam and a later X-ray both showed the same outcome: the bird had no injuries. The bird is being monitored to ensure it stays stable before being returned to the wild.
When wildlife moves through spaces dominated by planes, vehicles, glass, and artificial lighting, even a split-second miscalculation can quickly turn life-threatening.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
What's being done?
Rather than assume the bird would recover on its own, responders took it in, examined it thoroughly, and used imaging to rule out hidden injuries.
Wildlife can appear active or aggressive even when badly hurt. The rescue team's caution helped confirm that this bird's crooked-wing appearance was not masking a more serious problem.
As Wildlife Aid Foundation put it: "This little daredevil is now being monitored at WAF to ensure his condition remains stable, but he'll very soon be released back into the sky, where he belongs."
Where can I learn more?
For more on the risks birds face around human-made hazards, these articles cover window strikes, a gull's recovery after a car hit, and a heron tangled in fishing waste.
• At an Illinois convention center, migratory birds hit glass until crews tested fixes.
• In Vancouver, a glaucous-winged gull made a remarkable recovery after being struck by a car.
• In London, a heron suffered a preventable angling tragedy after getting tangled in fishing waste.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
