A rare bird of prey has been rescued and returned to the wild by RSPCA Cymru, after she was found by a stunned Carmarthenshire resident in a chicken coup.

The goshawk had made her way into the living quarters of a flock of chickens, at a West Wales smallholding, with the ensuing commotion heard by the property's owner.

Fortunately, all chickens safely escaped to the upstairs of their coup.

The goshawk, which is so rare the RSPCA would not even release the exact location of the find, was confined until the RSPCA attended and were able to safely collect the bird.

The goshawk is a large hawk which has what has been described as a fierce and frightening expression. The female is substantially larger than the male.

The bird became extinct in the UK in the 19th century, before reappearing in the 1960s.

Although the population has grown steadily since then, they remain a difficult bird to find as birdwatchers are often unwilling to reveal details of their location due to the fact that they are still a persecuted species.

An RSPCA officer commented that the “highly unusual find” was her “first encounter” with a wild goshawk in her current role.

The chickens were checked over by a vet, but thankfully had survived the ordeal without injury.

RSPCA animal collection officer (ACO) Ellie West confined herself in the coup with the wild bird to complete the rescue.

The goshawk was then kept in RSPCA care overnight for monitoring, before being safely returned to the Carmarthenshire wild on Sunday, September 3.

ACO West said: “This was a highly unusual find, and my first encounter with a wild goshawk as an RSPCA officer.

“This must have come as one massive shock to the owner of the small holding – who was alerted after hearing an almighty commotion from the chicken coup.

“It was some ordeal for the chickens. One hen ran into the coup, and initially still had the goshawk clinging to her back! Fortunately, they all escaped unharmed, and were fine – as was a pretty startled goshawk.

“This beautiful bird of prey was closely monitored overnight, before a safe release to the Carmarthenshire wild.

“Rescuing wildlife is a critical part of RSPCA Cymru's work, and successful releases like this are always one of the very best parts of my job.”