Visitors to a central London park were astonished when they saw a pelican feeding - on a pigeon.
The Eastern White scooped up the unsuspecting bird in its beak and began swallowing.
It flapped and kicked for all it was worth but the pelican was not to be denied.
Twenty minutes later, as tourists looked on in horror, the pigeon disappeared head first down its throat.
The drama was caught on camera by a Press Association photographer who was taking pictures of the wildlife in St James's Park.
Cathal McNaughton said: "The pelican was on the towpath preening itself, and there were a lot of tourists watching it.
"Then the bird got up and strolled along until it reached one of the pigeons, which it just grabbed in its beak.
"There was a bit of a struggle for about 20 minutes. The pelican only opened its mouth a couple of times.
"Then it managed to get the pigeon to go head first down its throat. It was kicking and flapping the whole way down."
The pigeon was very much alive when it reached the pelican's stomach, Mr McNaughton added.
A spokeswoman for the RSPB said: "It is almost unheard of for a pelican to eat a bird. Their diet should be strictly fish."
