Large bird that crashed into ocean off Florida coast rescued: 'An incredible sight'

COCOA BEACH, Fla. - A bird who’s rarely on land survived a near-drowning thanks to wildlife rescuers and a good Samaritan. 

A person was going for a walk on the beach when they saw something struggling in this rough surf. Seconds later, they jumped in to save an animal in distress.  

"She was horrible when she came in. When she came in, she was all wet and tethered and ice-cold. You know, we really didn’t know what was going to happen," said Heather Pepe who founded Wild Florida Rescue. Her team was instrumental in helping the injured frigate bird. "This person just jumped forth, grabbed the animal, took it out of the water."

Rescuers think a strong storm forced the female magnificent frigate bird into the ocean. This kind of bird does not dive for food and can’t survive for long in the water. 

It’s also not normal to see these birds on the ground in Florida. They can fly for over a month – without landing – and usually live in the Caribbean and Dry Tortugas. 

"The bird was very cold. We were worried about hypothermia. The bird had low blood sugar," she added. 

The bird required around-the-clock care, like blow drying and feeding, from Wild Florida Rescue volunteers and vets, but she turned a corner and took to the sky on Tuesday. 

"She did beautifully on the first shot. She just put her wings out and just took off in the wind. That was an incredible sight," Pepe said. 

That sight wouldn’t have been possible if people didn’t race to the rescue. 

"It’s all about humanity," Pepe concluded.