I’ve told the story before, but many years ago when I was learning to fly I killed a rabbit in midair with a Cessna.
Airports unsurprisingly have lots of small critters: open spaces, lot of tallish grass, and no larger predators.
So I’m landing one day and I’m a few seconds from landing when I spot a jackrabbit sitting on the runway just ahead, just beyond where I’m aiming to touch down. Being a benevolent sort, I adjust my aim up a bit intending to fly over him at a couple feet of altitude and set down past him.
I was still a foot or so above the runway when he gets Cuisinarted and sprayed all over the airplane including the windshield. He must’ve jumped straight up. Oops.
It was one heck of a mess to wash off.
I *think *that when small critters suddenly see a shadow looming overhead they assume it’s a bird of prey about to snatch them. Jumping straight up is a way to foil the bird’s aim regardless of which direction it’s coming from. It might work against hawks, but apparently it doesn’t work against cars or airplanes. 