Handlers fear for missing star falcon Atilla

A BIRD of prey centre has pleaded with birdwatchers and gardeners to help find its star attraction after a falcon disappeared during a performance.

World of Wings in Cumbernauld fear their saker falcon Atilla – star of more than 1,000 displays – could be killed by a wild falcon unless it is found quickly.

Staff fear Atilla may have been blown away by a gust of wind and got lost, or chased by another bird.

The six-year-old, whose species is native to Eastern Europe and across Asia, including Mongolia, was reared at the Scottish centre and has never had to fend for itself.

Manager Graeme Dick said yesterday: “Atilla is our star. He’s entertained crowds for years and never disappeared before.

“He is a show-stopper, and was putting on another demonstration when he went missing. He was reaching cloud level and then he was gone.

“We are very worried. He’s a very experienced flier but he may have been knocked off course in a gust or strayed into a buzzard or peregrine’s territory.”