Seagull smashes into reporter’s face during outdoor segment in New Zealand

Reporter Jessica Tyson was struck by a seagull during a live shoot

A routine on‑the‑ground news shoot turned chaotic this week when a seagull struck Jessica Tyson, reporter for Te Ao with Moana, right in the face, leaving her bleeding above one eye.

The dramatic incident, caught on camera, has since drawn widespread attention online.

Tyson had been filming a segment about fast fashion in downtown Auckland on Dec. 2.

As she prepared for a second take under windy conditions, a seagull suddenly swooped in and collided with her head.

In the video she shared afterward, she can be seen recoiling, exclaiming in surprise, and promptly putting her hands to her face.

A startled colleague asked, “You alright?” and noticed blood near her eye. Tyson paused, touched the area, and realized she was cut.

Despite getting a visible gash just above her left eye, “just missing my eyeball,” as she later described, she cleaned up at a nearby building and, astonishingly, returned to finish shooting her segment.

On social media she wrote: “POV: just trying to do your job when nature has other plans.” She also joked that the bird “needed a pair of glasses,” reflecting her characteristic resilience under pressure.

As the clip rapidly spread across platforms, fans and fellow media professionals flooded the comments with support, shock, and a mixture of worry and admiration.

Many praised her composure and commitment in the face of such an unexpected setback.

Tyson later told fans that she’s “all good,” though she admitted to being a little scarred, literally and figuratively, and said the bizarre incident gave her “a new appreciation for why some people are afraid of birds.”