THEY can grow up to five-and-half feet tall and are normally found wandering the grasslands of Brazil and Argentina.

But the South American flightless rhea caused a shock for one Selby man who opened his bedroom curtains to find the creature roaming in his garden.

John Cattanach, of Cawood, said he spotted the bird when he got up at 6am on Sunday, which happened to be his birthday.

“I opened the curtains and thought ‘what the heck is that?’” Mr Cattanach said.

“At first it was behind a wall and I just saw its head bobbing around. Then it came from behind the wall and I thought it was an ostrich at first. I was going to dial 999, but I thought they might think I was mad.”

A neighbour who had also spotted the animal recognised it as one of two kept as pets at nearby Grange Side Nurseries. Nursery owner Steve Calpin was alerted and he arrived at Mr Cattanach’s home to round up the bird.

Steve said: “I have two of them. One of them escapes sort of regularly but for this one it was the first time he had escaped.

“It had been roaming in the fields for a couple of weeks and then turned up in the village on Sunday morning. I went down in the morning after getting a phone call from John.”

He said both animals had fled from their pen at the nursery when a dog had squeezed in and chased them. Steve said: “They really don’t like dogs so when this little one got in, they managed to spring their five- foot wall and escape.”

Both birds are now back at home, though Steve said he believes his pair are not the only ones on the loose around Selby.

He said: “I know for a fact there are two in the Barlby area and there’s one in Barkston Ash, which I know isn’t mine.”