Ananova:

Birdwatchers flocked to see a rare swallow in Scotland - only to see it attacked and eaten by a sparrowhawk.

The red-rumped swallow, normally resident to the Mediterranean, excited twitchers when it was spotted at Lunan Bay, near Montrose.

Word that it had arrived on the East Coast of Scotland spread quickly, and a large crowd gathered to watch it flying over the beach.

The swallow's fatal mistake was to take a rest high on the roof of a nearby farm building, reports The Times.

The twitchers watched in disbelief as the sparrowhawk appeared, swooped on the swallow, crushed it with its powerful talons and flew off.

Mike Sawyer, of the Dundee branch of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said: "We were horrified.

"We had just phoned local birdwatchers to tell them of this rare occurrence. Then we had to ring them back and tell them it had been eaten."

The RSPB says the red-rumped swallow is a rare visitor to the UK but occasionally turns up during the migrating season, probably having lost its way.