Hawk rescued after being stuck on Texas car grille

[October 19, 2011]  GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) -- A hawk that struck a car traveling more than 60 mph survived but needed the help of a Dallas-area mechanic to extract it from the vehicle's grille.

Matt Whitehead, a mechanic at Park Place Lexus in Grapevine, says he thought the red-tailed hawk was dead until the animal blinked. But it wasn't even missing a feather.

WFAA-TV reports (http://bit.ly/noZrUg) a driver on Saturday stopped by the dealership to say he the bird flew into the front of his car.

Whitehead extricated the hawk by breaking apart the grille. The bird could flap its wings, but not fly.

Whitehead took the injured creature to veterinarian Greg Moore, who said Monday he's monitoring the animal and is optimistic that the hawk will recover from a concussion and internal injuries.

[Associated Press]

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