Mystery bird found on roadside reunited with owner

Social media users wondered if the bird was an emu, ostrich, a peacock or even a velociraptor dinosaur

A large bird, possibly an emu or ostrich, spotted wandering along a road, has been rescued by police and returned to its owner.

A motorist captured footage of the mystery bird standing on the verge in Bedworth Road, Bulkington, Warwickshire, with officers on the scene as traffic queued nearby.

Warwickshire Police confirmed they were called just before 10:00 GMT on Thursday to reports of a lost ostrich or emu. A spokesman for the force said: "As of 10:35am, the bird has now safely been returned to its owner."

The mystery bird sparked a discussion on the Bulkington Community Forum's Facebook page.

Some wondered whether it was an ostrich, an emu, a peacock, or even a velociraptor, a dinosaur that scientists believed became extinct around 66 million years ago.

There was also the comment: "Where's Rod Hull when you need him?" - referring to the late comedian, popular in the 1970s and 80s, who was rarely seen on TV without his emu puppet.

And one woman wrote: "I had to do a double-take; not something you see every day."