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Roadrunner, going faster, ends up in Maine after hitchhike

The greater roadrunner is native to the southwest U.S. This one stowed away in a moving van from Las Vegas to Maine.
Credit: AP
A roadrunner rests at Avian Haven, a bird rehab facility on Nov. 14, 2021 in Freedom, Maine. (Terry Heitz/Avian Haven via AP)

FREEDOM, Maine — A wayward roadrunner is on the mend in Maine after traveling across the country in a moving van.

The greater roadrunner, a species native to Southwestern states, hitched a ride in the storage area of a moving van from Las Vegas to Westbrook, Maine. Volunteers took the bird to Avian Haven, a bird rehabilitation facility in Maine.

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Avian Haven representatives said that they took the call about the bird Nov. 13 and that it continued to rest Tuesday. They said in a Facebook post that 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.

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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 center has created a special habitat for the bird that is warmer than its typical outdoor areas while also being sufficiently roomy, the group said.

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Posted by Avian Haven on Sunday, November 14, 2021

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