Bird of prey rescued after being stuck on car

In the last year, Manx Wild Bird Aid has helped 61 birds that have been hit by cars

A young bird of prey has had a lucky escape after accidentally hitching a ride on the front of a car in the south of the Isle of Man.

The driver spotted the male sparrowhawk which had its leg stuck in the grill at the front of her Range Rover when she arrived home.

Volunteers from Manx Wild Bird Aid were called out to the scene to help free the bird, and looked after it overnight before taking it to a vet.

Barbara Cole from the charity said without medical care the bird "could have died".

The sparrowhawk which had its leg caught in a grill was a young male

The driver was making her way through Santon on 26 February when she noticed a bird had "flown close to her window".

She was "shocked" when she got home to find it and called for help.

While an x-ray "didn’t show any broken bones", the young bird "sustained some internal injuries as a result of the collision", Manx Wild Bird Aid said.

However, this week, the sparrowhawk was released back into the wild after a successful recovery.

Ms Cole said that it was rare for a bird to get stuck in the grill of a car.

In the last 12 months, Manx Wild Bird Aid has helped over 1,000 birds on the island, 61 of which had been hit by cars.