BETA ZEN
Rufus the Hawk
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 Rufus at the 2012 Summer Olympics | |
| Species | Harris's hawk |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Born | 2008 Brigstock |
| Occupation | Bird scarer |
| Known for | Scaring birds away from the Wimbledon Championships |
| Owner | Wayne Davis |
| https://avianenvironmentaluk.co.uk | |
Rufus the Hawk (born 2008) 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 took over from the previous hawk, Hamish.[2] Rufus has accounts on Twitter and Facebook and his own Wimbledon security photocard pass with the job title of "Bird Scarer".[1]
Rufus was raised in Brigstock by Avian Environmental Consultants. He first appeared at the Wimbledon Championships in 2008 when he was 18 weeks old.[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. He also worked daily during the 2012 Summer Olympics.[2][4] Pigeons are particularly attracted to the roof of the centre court.[2] He has also been employed to scare pigeons away from Westminster Abbey, various hospitals, airfields, and landfill sites.[2][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]
In 2025, Rufus's handler stated that she had tried to set Rufus up with a female hawk named Pamela to create chicks to succeed him, however Pamela was aggressive with Rufus and they did not mate.[7][8] In 2026, she expressed concerns that Rufus's job may be taken by drones in the future, although the All England Club stated that it had no intention of replacing him.[3][9]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 Edworthy, Sarah (28 June 2013). "Rufus The Hawk Unruffled A Year After His Kidnap Ordeal". Wimbledon.com. IBM Corp. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 "Rufus the hawk back at work". BT. 25 June 2013. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
- 1 2 Ledwith, Mario. "Rufus the Hawk guards Wimbledon skies — but for how much longer?". The Times. Archived from the original on 5 July 2026. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Bryony Gordon (2 July 2012). "Rufus the hawk: Quails, baths and me-time – meet Wimbledon's biggest diva". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Archived from the original on 20 August 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
- 1 2 3 "Wimbledon 2013: Rufus the hawk scared by hoodies at All England Club". Metro. Associated Newspapers Limited. 26 June 2013. Archived from the original on 2 September 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
- ↑ Goldsmith, Belinda (24 June 2013). "Rufus the Hawk clears Wimbledon as record crowds queue up". Reuters. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
- ↑ Holland, Kris (9 July 2025). "Wimbledon hawk handler dismisses Rufus succession crisis". BBC. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
- ↑ McArdle, Tom (6 July 2025). "Wimbledon succession crisis looms after Rufus the hawk fails to breed". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 25 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
- ↑ McTaggart, India (3 July 2026). "Drones are coming for Rufus, Wimbledon's pigeon-proofing hawk". Telegraph. Retrieved 7 July 2026.