The Associated Press

Detroit – It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s a bird on a plane.

A Delta Air Lines flight captain decided to turn his plane around and return to Detroit after a bird was discovered inside the flight deck.

The airline says in a statement that shortly after takeoff Saturday, the pilots of Flight 1943 from Detroit to Atlanta saw a small bird in the flight deck. The unexpected passenger had entered the aircraft during boarding.

The captain decided to turn the plane around to “avoid a potential distraction” during the flight. The aircraft landed without incident and the bird was removed and set free.