Chilly roadrunner finds itself 2,800 miles away from Las Vegas home

A bird from Las Vegas found itself in some cold and unfamiliar territory after unwittingly hitching a ride across the country in a moving van.

The greater roadrunner, a species native to Southwestern states, hitched a ride in the storage area of the van from Las Vegas to Westbrook, Maine.

After getting a call on Nov. 13 from a father and son who had rented the van to move from Las Vegas to Maine, volunteers from Avian Haven, a bird rehabilitation facility in Maine, were able to net the bird and get it to the facility.

“It’s kind of exciting to be netting a roadrunner in Westbrook, Maine,” volunteer Karen Silverman told the Portland Press Herald. “It’s always an honor and pleasure for me to be part of an organization that helps birds out. This poor displaced bird definitely needed help and protection.”

According to a Facebook post from Avian Haven, 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.

Staff members have drained a pool in the facility’s pool hall in order to create a special habitat that is warmer than its typical outdoor areas while also being roomy enough for the bird.

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 average November temperature in Westbrook is between 31 and 48 degrees.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.