A Bristol man out on a jog was left covered in blood after being attacked by a swooping buzzard.

Solicitor Stuart Urquhart, 36, suffered three six-inch wounds to his head after the bird sunk its talons into his head.

The father-of-two, of Westbury Park, was on holiday in Helford, Cornwall, and nearing the end of an hour-long jog when he felt a pain in the back of his head.

He turned to see the huge bird – with a 4ft wingspan – flying away.

Mr Urquhart finished the last few yards of his run and went back to his holiday cottage, where his shocked wife Jenny, 33, thought he had been assaulted. He was taken to hospital for a tetanus injection.

Mr Urquhart said: ‘‘I was jogging along a very quiet lane near the river when I suddenly felt something on the back of my head. I thought somebody had thrown something at me because I felt a sharp pain, but I couldn’t see anyone.

"I then saw blood running down me and noticed a buzzard flying off into the trees. It was the last thing I expected to happen. As a jogger you run the risk of being attacked by a dog, but this was very strange.

"I have brown hair and I wasn’t sure if the buzzard had mistaken me for a big, slow rabbit, so I decided to invest in a hat. I had wanted to get a bicycle helmet but thought I’d look a bit stupid in that.”

Mrs Urquhart, a teacher, took a photo of his injuries when he returned.

She said: “I was horrified as I thought someone had attacked him.”

Experts believe the buzzard attacked because it was protecting a nest.

RSPB spokesman Peter Exley said: ‘‘All birds will defend their nests, but it is unusual for a buzzard to attack a human being. We would recommend avoiding the area for a few weeks until the young have left.”

Buzzards were once a protected species after being shot by farmers for preying on game birds. There are now more than 40,000 breeding pairs in the UK, which normally prey on small mammals.