Hard to swallow? Greedy bird gets to grips with gigantic fish lunch

The anhinga water bird, usually found in warmer parts of America, looked pleased as punch after catching himself an enormous snack at Everglades National Park, a renowned wildlife world heritage sight

An anhinga gobbles up a gold and green fish for his lunch (Picture: Caters)

However the greedy bird, which lives primarily off a diet of fish, struggled as it attempted to wolf down its meal. 

Its catch may have been almost double the size of his head, but that didn't stop the eager anhinga, also known as the Snakebird.

The scene was captured by amazed wildlife snapper Javier Parrilla Perez, who explained: 'Throughout the morning, my wife and I were photographing wildlife in the Everglades, an amazing place for bird photography.

'At one point we were shooting an alligator in the canal when we saw this incredible anhinga with fish in its mouth.

'We couldn't believe it because the bird was only a few metres away from us. Camera in hand we set out to shoot without stopping, we knew it was an incredible moment and we didn't want to miss it.'

With its small head and extra-long neck, it took the anhinga a while to digest its meal fully, but got there in the end. 

Mr Perez added: 'The bird seemed to expend so much effort wallowing the fish. At one point we thought he was going to choke.

'But after a few minutes of wrestling he finally swallowed it. It was an unforgettable moment of intense emotion.'

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/897241-hard-to-swallow-greedy-bird-gets-to-grips-with-gigantic-fish-lunch