Plucky pheasant hitches ride on double-decker bus after smashing through window

It’s not the usual passenger you’d expect to see on the bus, but this plucky pheasant found itself hitching a ride when it miraculously escaped unscathed after smashing through a window.

The bewildered bird crashed through the windscreen of the double-decker bus and ended up on the front seat – and hitched a ride on the top deck.

The bewildered bird crashed through the windscreen of the double-decker and ended up on the front seat, where it stayed for 20 minutes as the bus drove back to the depot.

And apparently, the collision didn’t ruffle the feathers of the incredibly lucky pheasant at all.

It was taken from the bus station in Gloucester to Vale Wildlife Rescue near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, on Saturday morning but was released five minutes later without a scratch.

Bemused volunteer George Placidly-Cox, 50, drove to the bus station after one alarmed bus user reported the crash.

He said: “The pheasant flew out and collided with the bus. It went through the top deck window on the right hand side and ended up on the front seat of the bus.

“I think it thought it was James Bond. It was totally fine and in good health, and it had a comfortable ride. It was one lucky pheasant.”

Martin Brookes, general manager at Vale Wildlife Rescue, added: “Fortunately the flexible glass shattered but stayed together, so it flapped up and then flapped back.

“The pheasant stayed on the upper deck for the remainder of the journey.

“Apart from having a few feathers missing and being a little bit stressed, it was fine and we released it within a few minutes.”