TOM Cruise hired hawks to keep pesky pigeons off the set of Mission: Impossible 8.
The star wanted the feral flappers cleared from London’s Trafalgar Square while he shot scenes where his character Ethan Hunt faces a riot.
Handlers brought in the birds of prey and put them on standby to ward off the pigeons.
A source said: “It was a clever move and meant the scenes were filmed without a hitch.”
London is home to three million pigeons and thousands blight the Square every day.
Harris hawks and Peregrine Falcons have long been used to deter them from flocking to certain areas in London.
Portcullis House, the home of some MPs’ offices in Westminster, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge have all used the hawks, which are a popular species in falconry.
Photographs of Tom, 61, filming the spy film showed a tank and armoured vehicles parked up in the tourist hotspot.
His team also created a new Trafalgar Square Tube station and enlisted hundreds of extras to play soldiers.
The untitled film, a sequel to last year’s Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, is set for release in May 2025.
