 Rufus at the 2012 Summer Olympics | |
| Species | Harris's hawk |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Occupation | Bird Scarer |
| Known for | Scaring birds away from the Wimbledon Championships |
Rufus the Hawk is a Harris's hawk used by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club to keep pigeons away from their venue. Described as an "important member of the Wimbledon family", [1] Rufus has been scaring away the birds for fifteen years, [2] taking over from the previous hawk, Hamish. [3]
The All England Club employ Rufus to patrol their 42-acre grounds throughout the year, with daily visits during the two weeks of Wimbledon Championships and the 2012 Summer Olympics. [3] [4] Pigeons are particularly attracted to the roof of the centre court. [3] He has also been employed to scare pigeons away from Westminster Abbey, various hospitals, airfields, and landfill sites. [3] [4]
On 28 June 2012, Rufus was stolen from the back of his owner's car while it was parked on a private drive. [1] [5] The theft caused a "global outcry" with significant coverage in the media leading to Rufus being named "the world's most notable bird" and "one of Britain's best-known birds". [4] [6] He was found three days later on Wimbledon Common and handed into the RSPCA. The bird was healthy with the only injury being a slightly sore leg. [1] [5] Rufus usually wears a radio transmitter by which he could have been tracked, but it is removed from him at night. [4] In June 2013, it was reported that Rufus was scared by people in hoods and that he had been chased off by crows. [5]
Rufus has accounts on Twitter and Facebook and his own Wimbledon security photocard pass with the job title of "Bird Scarer". [1]