Watch: Barn owl perched on moving car

A barn owl has been filmed perched on a the frame of a car's open window as it travelled along a dual carriageway.

The video, viewed tens of thousands of times on TikTok, shows the bird balancing and flapping its wings as the driver slows down to approach the Fiveways roundabout on the A11 at Mildenhall in Suffolk on 6 December.

Adrian Blumfield, from the Hawk and Owl Trust, based in Fakenham in Norfolk, described the footage as "troubling" and said he was extremely concerned.

"This behaviour shows complete disregard for the bird's welfare, with the loud noises, vibrations and movement potentially causing significant stress, while also putting the bird at risk of physical injury," he said.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: "Not only could this have caused a potentially dangerous distraction to the car driver and other road users too but it is placing the owl in an unsafe and distressing situation which is completely unacceptable."

Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

5 days ago