Like many Texans, William Bruso, a Houston taxicab driver spent some time buying storm supplies on Friday as Hurricane Harvey approached. When he returned to his cab, he discovered an unexpected passenger sitting in the back seat: a Cooper’s hawk! We’ve posted the video below. As you’ll see, this fearsome looking bird glares at the camera while it waits for its ride to get moving.
The Cooper’s hawk ranges all the way from Canada to Panama (where it winters). They like forests and open woodlands but they’ve also been known to nest in cities, where building ledges provide ideal perches. The Cooper’s hawk is a tough customer. It preys on other birds as well as small mammals like chipmunks, squirrels, and even bats. Most of the time, it’s also fearless, taking its prey by surprise, sometimes taking great risks when it swoops in or crashes through the brush.
As far as William Bruso could tell, the hawk he found waiting in his cab was looking for a place to hunker down ahead of the dangerous and fast-approaching hurricane. “He’s not hurt. He just don’t wanna leave the car.” The hawk seemed frightened, but not of Bruso: “He’s not afraid of me. He’s kind of comfy-cozy right now.” The Houston cabbie’s plan was to ride out the storm with his family (and the hawk) and then afterward, find an animal expert who knows how to help the bird. Hopefully everyone will be okay and whether the fare is paid or not, the hawk will return to the skies of Houston.
The hawk has, inevitably, been named Harvey the Hurricane Hawk.
What did you think of this hawk’s decision to grab a cab as the storm approached? Let us know in the comments at Facebook. Don’t forget to like and share: you’ll have your friends checking the back seat every time.
https://youtu.be/-6MjdV_8E6Q
