VIDEO: Cops Leap For Cover From Dive-Bombing Mama Blue Jay

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY – An attack from above left a pair of NYPD officers ducking for cover on the Upper East Side – though their assailant was no more menacing than a protective bird.

The cops were called to help a Blue Jay chick found on the sidewalk somewhere in the NYPD's 19th precinct, which covers the neighborhood. But as they approached, the baby's mom swooped from above, according to the precinct's Twitter feed.

Though the Twitter feed identified the bird as a Bluebird in the Aug. 23 post, it was later confirmed to be a Blue Jay.

The tweet won plaudits for the officers and the NYPD, including from the Twitter account of the Manhattan Bird Alert, which keeps nearly 20,000 birders informed about ornithological sightings in the city.

Another follower of the 19th precinct, Ricky Dreamer, tweeted: "I'm not gonna lie, you guys run a good Twitter feed" – to which the precinct replied:

Note: The Wild Bird Fund advises that healthy fledglings should always be left alone. Action should only be taken if the bird is clearly injured or in imminent danger.