For hours in Terminal 5 at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, travelers trying to check in for Air France had to dodge a large green bird that kept swooping through the line and settling on heads and bags.
Here's what to know
According to CBS News Chicago, O'Hare worker Paris Elbert said the bird entered Terminal 5 from outside through an open exterior door and then repeatedly dived at people near the Air France check-in line.
The bird also landed on travelers' bags and even their heads, and it tried to bite several passengers waiting in line. Some people initially treated it as a novelty rather than as a distressed animal.
Elbert said the ordeal lasted hours. "It was funny, but it was crazy. Sad too," Elbert said, describing the hours-long episode. He added, "You know, everybody's just like oh, the bird is so cute, and every time somebody got close, the bird just started attacking, going berserk. A lot of people wanted to get the bird, but every time they tried to either grab the bird or be nice to the bird, the bird chose fight, not flight."
More background
CBS News Chicago reported that the bird looked to be a type of parrot and appeared to be missing feathers around its neck.
After coming through an open airport door, the bird found itself surrounded by people, luggage, and repeated attempts to catch or calm it. No one knew whether the bird was a missing pet, even as travelers tried to check bags and move through Terminal 5 while avoiding an animal that kept swooping at people.
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According to Elbert, several people tried to pick up the bird or approach it gently, but those efforts only seemed to provoke more aggressive behavior rather than calm it.
The incident ended when an airport janitor caught the bird with her shirt, Elbert said. He said she then took it to a veterinarian for examination so someone could try to determine whether it belonged to someone who had lost a pet.
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