Dive-bombing buzzard flies last mission

[vampgirl]

Reuters) - A bad-tempered buzzard which dive-bombed cyclists on a Devon country road has finally met its match after it swooped on a van.

The bird of prey's reign of terror ended instantly when it attacked the van near the market town of Holsworthy in North Devon on Wednesday.

"It took on more than it could chew," a spokeswoman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said on Thursday. "It was a pure accident."

She said the buzzard was probably defending chicks in a nest near the road. The driver was a local man who was deeply upset by the accident.

The buzzard had attacked more than 20 riders, including competitors in a bike race who suffered head injuries and gouged helmets last weekend.

One cyclist who was attacked said he was upset to hear of the bird's death.

"You never like to hear about a wild bird being killed," Paul Dixon, 71, told the Daily Express. "Mind you, it will spare us all a few scratches."