Watch your step! Starling stuck in manhole cover

The songbird flew in the wrong direction underground and got trapped.

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Megan Shersby

Published: February 9, 2017 at 11:09 am

A starling was discovered in the small gap of a manhole cover by a local resident in Cumbria after flying up from the drains below and getting her head caught in gap in the metal cover.

The bird was fortunately rescued by the RSPCA.

“We suspect she’d flown into the drains elsewhere, perhaps through a storm drain,” said animal welfare officer Sam Jopson, “and then got stuck underground.”

2Starling623-5324bb5 — The starling was found trapped in the hole of a manhole cover. © RSPCA

RSPCA staff were able to prise open the manhole cover to free the bird, and as she wasn’t injured, she was released immediately.

“The little gap in the manhole cover must have seemed like the perfect escape route for her, but she was a little big to squeeze through,” said Jopson.

Naturalist, writer and content creator

Megan is a naturalist, writer and content creator. She is also a bookworm and a keen board gamer. She is the former editorial and digital co-ordinator at BBC Wildlife, and wrote features and sections for both the print magazine and discoverwildlife.com, including the Q&A and Go Wild sections, Poo Corner and News Species Discovery, the weekly e-newsletter and the social media accounts. Her features have included olms (cave salamanders) in Slovenia, arapaima (very big fish) in Guyana, and the role of hippos as ecosystem engineers in Zambia. She has also contributed to the website and magazine of BBC Countryfile Magazine, and has hosted some its podcast episodes. Prior to joining BBC Wildlife in 2016, she gained a degree in BSc(Hons) Animal Science, undertook behavioural research on zebras and dwarf mongooses, and worked in environmental education for a number of conservation charities.

© Nature Picture Library/Getty