Little ‘Jet’ rescued from big jet: ‘stowaway’ hatchling found in tail of plane

In what could possibly be South Africa’s youngest — and smallest — stowaway, a baby bird smaller than a human thumb was rescued from the tail of a jet at Lanseria this week.

The newborn chick was discovered by a technician at ExecuJet MRO Services at Lanseria Airport just outside Johannesburg. It was in a nest, its mother nowhere in sight.

“The patient in question is smaller than your thumb,” said the Owl Rescue Centre’s Brendan Murray, who needed to use a macro lens to photograph the tiny creature. 

Murray and his wife Danelle carry out all manner of bird and animal rescues across the country — with more than 20,000 owl rescues in the past 16 years. This week’s rescue was the smallest bird they have ever saved and the 10th they have done for ExecuJet. 

It could be a local bird, but all the birdlife experts I’ve asked are unsure. One person suggested it’s a grasshopper sparrow, which would be amazing because they only breed in Florida [in the US]

—  Brendan Murray, Owl Rescue Centre

“It’s quite possible he came in on the red-eye flight from Tahiti,” Murray quipped.

Technicians spotted the nest when the tail of a craft came in for inspection. “He was newly hatched. His food sac wasn’t even empty yet,” Murray said, estimating that the chick could not have been more than two days old. 

He put the tiny bird inside his shirt against his skin to keep it warm and headed back to the Owl Rescue Centre sanctuary in Hartbeespoort. 

“I put him in the incubator and he’s absolutely fine. He’s warm and he’s eating and growing strong,” Murray said, adding that many Owl Rescue Centre followers and birding experts had commented on what species the chick could be.

“It could be a local bird, but all the birdlife experts I’ve asked are unsure. One person suggested it’s a grasshopper sparrow, which would be amazing because they only breed in Florida [in the US].”

The species of the hatchling, now named Jet, will not be known until he is quite a few days older.

“Jet’s doing well. We have him on baby-rearing formula and Purity, feeding every three hours, even through the night. He’ll look a whole lot different in a few days’ time,” said Murray, who is confident that with their 80% success rate of rescued babies, Jet has a good chance of survival despite his minute size.

“He was quite badly dehydrated when we rescued him, but he seems to be hanging in. We’re not out of the woods yet, but it’s looking like he might pull through.”

Murray said the Owl Rescue Centre had done several other call outs for ExecuJet at their Lanseria hangar.

“It’s a massive space, and crows like to nest in the roof. They build their nests out of bits of metal and wire, and they become quite big and often weigh more than 10kg. So if you have one of those coming down on a jet, you’re looking at quite significant damage,” he said. 

ExecuJet MRO Services spokesperson Madie Werner said the business was deeply committed to wildlife conservation and aviation safety. It had committed to sponsoring the rescue, release and rehabilitation of 20 birds annually.

She said Jet was found in a business jet undergoing maintenance.

Werner said seasonal changes — particularly between October and February — brought increased bird activity that posed significant safety risks to aircraft as birds are known to nest in unexpected areas like engines, flaps and other open aircraft cavities. Because of this, engineers are vigilant and all aircraft are thoroughly inspected and protected.

“When aircraft are stationary, we use engine covers and protective barriers to seal open cavities to prevent birds from nesting. Any nests, feathers or droppings discovered during inspections are removed and disposed of in an environmentally safe manner to discourage birds from returning,” she said.