A hawk commanding the blue skies is a scintillating but rare sight, yet even rarer is watching the apex predator ensure no interruptions rain down upon tennis players plying their trade. That is a scene unique to Wimbledon, as a hawk named Rufus has patrolled its historic 42-acre complex for the last 18 years. Since joining the Wimbledon staff, Rufus has been one of the most diligent members of the All England Tennis Club, emerging as a custodian for tennis fans and a scourge for those looking to cause trouble at the grass-court major.

Wimbledon is often a hub for pigeons, which can create unwanted chaos by disrupting on-court play, littering the playing surface, or disturbing the audience. This is where Rufus comes in: he keeps the unwanted miscreants through his presence, intimidating them with his talons and wings. He is a Harris hawk, an apex predator among avian species, which enables him to assert his dominance over other birds.

The job Rufus does is no joke: he has his own security pass for Wimbledon and is often shown during the broadcast. Although he is employed year-round, his job during the grass-court Major has earned him significant fame to the point that he has his own social media presence. Rufus has an active following on X and Instagram, with over a thousand followers on X and almost 10,000 on Instagram. Owned by the Davis Family, who work for Avian Environmental UK, Rufus’ health is under constant supervision.

Bringing in designated “environmental deterrents” is a relatively new idea for Wimbledon, as pigeons have long posed a problem for the tournament. Despite using several measures, including shooting down the pigeons, the event recognized the novelty and benefit of keeping apex predator birds to deter pigeons. The event appointed a falconry company in 1999, employing the first hawk, Hamish, who served until 2008, after which Rufus took over. While it may seem obvious, the appointment took some convincing.

Donna Davis talked about a pigeon-interupted match between Tim Henman and Pete Sampras, which gave her the idea to use hawks like Hamish and Rufus to help on the ground. She noticed how distracted the two players were in such a crucial match, and later approached the tournament with her idea.

“During that match, the pigeons kept coming down to Centre Court in between points to munch on the seed that had been laid, and Sampras kept having to bat them off the baseline with his racquet,” Davis told ABC News. “And of course, at that critical point, if you’re getting distracted, that’s the last thing you need, and it can cost you the game or the match. So I was watching, and I was thinking, ‘I’m going to give them a call.’ I did exactly that and they said, ‘come down, show us what you can do’ and here we are, 24 years later.”

It is amazing that at a Grand Slam event featuring some of the top players in the world, a Harris hawk would get a fair share of attention, with Rufus also making nationwide headlines back in 2012. Yet his story isn’t without trouble or camaraderie, with a canine companion marching the grounds while he soars through the skies.

Rufus: Kidnapped and Returned, and Other Jobs and Partnership with Flo

Back in 2012, Rufus was a victim of a kidnapping incident as someone stole the famous hawk from the owner’s car. The incident received significant media coverage, as it occurred during the first week of Wimbledon. However, the incident resolved itself, as he was returned to the Wimbledon grounds three days after he was taken, and he was back in the sky in no time. A fate that hasn’t followed his four-legged deputy on the ground.

Rufus is not the only animal at Wimbledon tasked with the place’s security. The Harris hawk works with Flo, a Labrador retriever, who is responsible for the ground security at SW19. Flo is trained by Mark Millsand and works a 12-hour shift, going through the premises and prepared to act on a moment’s notice in case of an emergency. Unlike Rufus, Flo doesn’t have a social media presence, but has his moments among high society, as he was clicked with Queen Camilla at Wimbledon last year.

Rufus and Flo patrol not only at Wimbledon but also at locations such as Westminster Abbey and the grounds of the Northampton Saints rugby club, where Rufus patrols the skies, and Flo serves as a watchdog at football matches. Rufus has also been seen at Lord’s Cricket Ground, with his legend spreading across sport. He has been serving several establishments for a long time, which is why another hawk was brought in at Wimbledon, named Rhea, who would potentially reduce his workload.

With Wimbledon beginning on June 29, Rufus and Flo will be back on duty, commanding the skies and ground together in the morning and between matches to make sure there are no pigeons in the air or any threats on the ground, which will be no mean feat given the heat this year. Although the two of them have not gone along famously, Rufus and Flo will take center stage once again as the grass-court Major begins on Monday.