The turkey vulture, which lacks the bird voice organ known as a syrinx, is a generally mute bird, with vocalizations limited to grunts and hisses. So maybe it was just professional jealousy that sent one Connecticut turkey vulture hurtling into the ESPN office of Stephen A. Smith, a bird known not just for grunting and hissing but also whooping, sputtering, ululating, hollering, blubbering, whispering, and so many other mildly sports-adjacent sounds.
Jerry Mailhiot, who works in production and imaging for ESPN Radio, broke the news of the bird attack:
Mailhiot also offered updates as the glass was hammered away and as animal control lured out the live bird.
Here’s how Trey Wingo described the bleak scene:
Smith was apparently not in his office at the time of impact, depriving the world of some priceless audio:
Smith confused the identity of his visitor—it’s a turkey vulture, not a turkey—which puts the bird on equal footing with basically any active NFL player.