Hawke’s Bay hawk miraculously survives after being hit by a woman test-driving an SUV

The hawk was removed from the vehicle alive and uninjured. Photo / VetsOne

A kāhu hit by a woman test-driving a car in Hawke’s Bay has miraculously survived uninjured after being wedged in the grille.

Hastings VetsOne vet nurse Nadine Hook said a mother came in on April 1 after she had been driving the SUV with her two boys.

“She had obviously hit it accidentally, and the body had gone through the grille, which was all cracked.

“They really wanted to help the hawk, and they were really dedicated to making sure we got the hawk out.”

Hook said she went to the car and was shocked by what she saw.

Only the wings of the swamp harrier, or kāhu, could be seen. Photo / VetsOne

Hook said the swamp harrier’s body had gone in as far as the radiator, with its wings outstretched like a “giant feathered butterfly”.

“In 20 years of being a vet nurse, I had never seen that before.

“We have seen lots of patients hit by cars, but never lodged in such a predicament.”

They decided to sedate the distressed bird to work with it.

Hastings VetsOne Nurse Nadine Hook with the hawk she helped rescue from a car's grille. Photo / Nadine Hook

“Birds are delicate, stress can kill them, minor accidents can kill them.”

She said additional panels on the MG QS car meant the vets couldn’t remove the bird.

So they decided to take the vehicle, with the hawk still in the grille, back to Bayswater Vehicles on Heretaunga St West.

Bayswater MG salesman Ivan van der Westhuizen said the driver had already called in after hitting the bird. Once they realised it was still alive, he advised her to go to the vets.

When the vehicle returned again, this time with Hook in tow, a workshop technician cut out the sedated hawk.

The only damage was to the grille, which had to be replaced.

Hook said the bird was cautiously lifted out with a towel.

“Hawks are pretty predictable in their behaviour. The feet are definitely the thing that you have to watch out for, not so much the beak.”

There was a small amount of dried blood near its beak, but it was otherwise uninjured.

Nadine Hook said she was pleased to see the bird fly after its overnight stay at VetsOne. Photo / VetsOne

Hook said the bird was medicated and put in a quiet place overnight to be observed for shock.

After an examination the next day, it was released, having been given long-term pain medication.

“When I released him, he just took off into the sky, and he looked so smooth.”

The bird circled and flew towards Bridge Pa.

“I like to think it was a thank you, but in reality it’s probably more like, ‘Where am I, I’m going to get my bearings’”.

Van der Westhuizen said the accident was not the driver’s fault. “It’s part of life, and these things happen.”

He planned to check in with the woman next week to see if she had decided to buy the vehicle.

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based in the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.