A battered and bruised British bird of prey needed care after crashing into the ground in Sutton.
The buzzard was flying over Sutton town centre and fell to the ground after landing close to the crossroads of Carshalton Road and the High Street.
A passerby contacted the London Wildcare Trust to rescue the injured bird.
Trust founder Ted Burden said: “The buzzard is the UK’s largest and most graceful bird of prey and is mostly found close to wooded hillsides in Wales and Scotland.
“They have shown up over parkland in the borough before but to be found in such a built up area suggests this one was blown off course due to the recent high winds and exhausted by the weather conditions flew into a building.”
The bird was found to have no broken bones or major injuries, although its weight was dangerously low and staff at the Trust’s hospital and rescue centre in Beddington Park spent a few hours feeding the bird fluids through a tube.
The bird is now in a secluded aviary to build up its weight before being released back into the wild.
Mr Burden said: “Although rare and an interesting addition to our patient list the buzzard is just one of thousands of sick, injured and orphaned wild animals that we will have rescued by the end of the summer.”
“We currently operate 24-hours a day, every day of the year, as the only specialised professional animal welfare charity in Greater London providing a free service.”
The charity is ineligible for Government or Lottery support and needs support from the public to keep caring for the area’s wildlife.
To help the London Wildcare Trust go to www.londonwildcare.org.
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