Rare bird released back into wild after treatment at Minnesota rehab center

A bird rarely seen in Minnesota has a new lease on life thanks to one concerned citizen. 

The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center released a buff-breasted sandpiper back into the wild Saturday.

Experts at the center say this was their first time ever seeing this kind of bird. They don't live in Minnesota, but they do pass through on their migration journey from the Arctic Circle to Argentina.

The bird spent the last few months healing at the rehab center after being found at the Maple Grove, Minnesota, police station with a broken clavicle. 

"This is the perfect release site for this sandpiper. They've been spotted here in recent days and then continue on; it's got about 10,000 miles to go," Brittney Yohannes, communications and development director for the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, said.

 Experts say it will take the bird up to two months to reach its destination.