The Yorkshire driver was amazed to find an uninjured bird of prey in the grille of his Jaguar after a collision

The bird of prey, later identified as the buzzard, somehow landed alive and well and sat in the radiator of the car, despite being hit at high speed in the Harrogate area.

A hole in the grate shows how the bird entered and miraculously came out unscathed – and even with enough space to stand upright.

RSPCA inspector Claire Little was called by the owner of the jaguar when they found the unexpected stowaway and managed to remove him and bring him to the wildlife sanctuary owned by noted birds of prey expert Jean Thorpe.

Jean, who was appointed an MBE in 2013 for her volunteer work, heads Ryedale Wildlife Rehabilitation near Malton. She looks after 4,000 animals annually and takes in various species, but has become known for her work with injured birds of prey.

She has treated peregrine falcons and red kites found with shotgun wounds following chase incidents, and even treated a migratory osprey caught in nets on a trout farm near Driffield.

The buzzard will rest and recover after its happy escape, but since it had no obvious injuries it will likely be released after a brief stint.

In 2018, a York driver discovered a pheasant trapped in the grille of his Volvo that had somehow survived a 40-mile drive from Brimham Rocks to his house – even though the car itself was badly damaged in the impact. It was released shortly after being examined by an RSPCA inspector.