Robin Nest, Ford Truck
A Ford Motor Co. logo stands behind a row of F-250 pickup trucks at the Rob Baker Ford dealership in Plainfield, Illinois, U.S., on Wednesday, July 23, 2014. Ford is scheduled to release earnings figures on July 24. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

New Kansas Truck Owner’s Delivery Delayed After Federally Protected Bird Builds Nest on Wheel

A truck owner faced an unusual delay after a robin built a nest on their newly purchased F-250, leaving the vehicle protected by federal law.

A new truck owner in Olathe, Kansas, had to wait a little longer than expected to take delivery of their vehicle after an unusual discovery at a local dealership.

Videos by Wide Open Country

Staff at a Ford Lincoln dealership revealed on Thursday, May 14, that one of their employees noticed something unexpected on the wheel of a recently sold F-250 truck.

A mother robin had built a nest on the vehicle, setting off an unusual chain of events that temporarily prevented the truck from being moved due to federal wildlife protections.

Robin Nest Creates Unusual Delay for New Truck Owner

The dealership shared the story on social media, posting several photos and videos documenting the surprise guests.

The images showed four bright blue eggs nestled inside the tire before later updates revealed the newly hatched robins.

"This may be the only F-250 in America currently protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act," the dealership wrote.

"A couple of weeks ago, one of our team members noticed something unexpected on a sold F-250... a mama robin building a nest right on the truck's tire."

"Over the next few days, she laid four beautiful blue eggs, and today, those eggs officially hatched. The proud parents are now keeping a very close eye on their new babies as they begin their journey toward taking flight."

The dealership explained that robins and active nests are protected under federal law. This meant that employees could not legally relocate the nest.

Staff also thanked the "incredibly kind and understanding" customer who agreed to wait until the birds had safely left.

Viral Bird Family Finally Leaves the Nest

The story quickly gained attention online, with hundreds of social media users following the robins' progress.

On May 19, the dealership provided another update, revealing that the birds had been named Lugnut, Axle, Diesel, and Turbo.

Just over a week later, on May 27, the dealership announced that the young robins had officially left the nest.

"What started as a little nest on an F-250 turned into a story shared around the world," a Facebook post read.

"The nest is officially empty, and our little birds have flown the coop. We'll be leaving it in place a few more days just to make sure the family is fully moved out."

"Thanks for following along with us on this unexpected adventure."

Dealership manager Sammi Dodson told KMBC that unusual animal encounters are nothing new.

She recalled finding cats inside vehicles, including one that an employee later adopted. As well as a mother possum and several babies discovered under the hood of a car during an oil change.

"And so, we're all laughing because we're an animal rescue," Dodson joked.