A bird in the hand may be worth two in the bush, but a bird to the eye must be worth a pay rise - or at least a day off.

Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi reporter Jessica Tyson was recording a piece to camera for Māori television's current affairs show 'Te Ao with Moana' when she was hit in the face by a seagull. 

Already battling windy conditions in Auckland's Britomart Square, Tyson was gearing up for a second take when the massive bird clocked her, causing a cringe-inducing thud sound as it made contact with her at high speed. 

The former Miss World NZ took it like an absolute champ, telling her cameraman she was alright before he pointed out that she was bleeding.

"Am I?!!" she said, later documenting her injuries in a bathroom selfie that showed a black eye and blood dripping from a laceration on her face.

Despite the trauma, Tyson saw the funny side, sharing the moment on Instagram with the caption: "The commitment to the job is real! Bird needed Specsavers really!"

Her video has gained 105,000 views at the time of writing, with the comments section filled with sympathetic and shocked reactions.

"Oh heeeeelll noooo," wrote Stan Walker, who is Tyson's brother-in-law. 

Our own Tegan Yorwarth from Mai FM said what we were all thinking: "I can't stop watching this omg." 

In response to one comment saying "give me five minutes with that bird, I just wanna talk", Tyson replied: "Honestly, that bird needed a flying lesson or something!" 

Replying to another comment asking how she was now, Tyson said, "Everything is fine, just got a little scar above my eye!"

All we can say is good on ya gal, and for the rest of us - get better work stories!