Utah driver gets a ‘hoot’ after owl ends up in car’s grill

A Utah man got quite a “hoot” this past Saturday when he found an owl stuck behind the front grill of his vehicle.

Rushton Hiltbrand says he was driving heading home when he hit a large bird and thought the animal died on impact.

Later, when he inspected his car, he found the owl’s yellow eyes peering out from behind the grill with the bird alive and breathing, NBC News-affiliate WBAL TV reports.

READ MORE: Shelter ‘miracle dog’ survives euthanasia, then finds forever home

0:38 Puppy survives euthanization earning a second chance at life

Upon discovering the great horned owl, a wildlife expert was called.

As they waited, Hiltbrand began using screwdrivers and drills to slowly take off a piece of his car just above where the owl was seated.

Once the piece was removed and the wildlife expert had arrived, he took the owl out of the vehicle and carried it to his own car.

The owl was later taken to a rehab facility and is expected to be in recovery for the next few weeks.