A WILDLIFE rescue expert has claimed it is "perfectly normal" for birds to eat each other after a huge seagull was filmed devouring a pigeon.

Trevor Weeks, the founder and director of the East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service, said the "prehistoric" black-backed gull filmed eating a pigeon in a children's playground could swallow a pigeon whole.

In the video, taken on Wednesday, May 5, the large bird can be seen walking over to the pigeon before picking it up and swallowing it.

It then proceeds to slowly walk away from the scene of the crime and perch itself on top of a tunnel in the children's play area.

The footage sparked fear with Tyrone Campbell, who took the video, claiming he knew an owner of a small dog who was wary of the bird.

However, Mr Weeks reassure dog owners said it is "unlikely" that the bird to would eat a Chihuahua.

He said: "It is perfectly normal for gull and other birds to take and kill other birds.

"The Herring Gull is unlikely to swallow hole a pigeon as they are not big enough. The larger gulls like the greater black-backed gull are bigger and would do so.

"Although I can understand residents concerns and worries, such a bird is unlikely to take a pet dog.

"I doubt their throats are big enough to swallow one. Wild feral pigeons are quite small round 0.2-0.4kg in comparison to a Chihuahua which is 1.8 – 2.7kg.

"It can be distressing to see a wild animal take and kill another wild animals, however, this is perfectly natural and no different to lions and tigers doing so in Africa.

"Our domestic dogs and cats kill millions of wild animals and birds every year, so we really shouldn’t be shocked by this. Sadly we can’t expect wildlife to all be vegetarian."

It comes after a wildlife expert told The Argus that the bird is not the "evil menace that some people seem to think".

At the time, Roger Musselle, who runs Roger’s Wildlife rescue in Woodingdean said: "They are a handsome and noble bird as anyone who watches a year in their life will observe.

"Their attention to rearing their family is second to none and we can learn a lot from them with regards to looking after our children.

"Herring gulls are not the evil menace that some people seem to think."