Sponsored message
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
NPR News

A stowaway roadrunner hitched a ride in a moving van from Las Vegas to Maine

A roadrunner rests at Avian Haven, a bird rehab facility on Sunday in Freedom, Maine. The bird hitched a ride in the storage area of a moving van from Las Vegas.
A roadrunner rests at Avian Haven, a bird rehab facility on Sunday in Freedom, Maine. The bird hitched a ride in the storage area of a moving van from Las Vegas.

FREEDOM, Maine — A wayward roadrunner is on the mend in Maine after traveling across the country in a moving van.

The greater roadrunner, a species native to Southwestern states, hitched a ride in the storage area of a moving van from Las Vegas to Westbrook, Maine. Volunteers took the bird to Avian Haven, a bird rehabilitation facility in Maine.

Avian Haven representatives said that they took the call about the bird Nov. 13 and that it continued to rest Tuesday. They said in a Facebook post that the bird was in "remarkably good shape" for having been stuck in a van for four days but might have lost weight during the journey.

The center is looking at ways to return the roadrunner to Nevada once it is healthy enough, said Diane Winn, Avian Haven's executive director.

The center has created a special habitat for the bird that is warmer than its typical outdoor areas while also being sufficiently roomy, the group said.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today