This is the moment a young cobra slithers into a birdcage and takes refuge in a nest in Bhubaneshwar in eastern India.

The owner of the cage, which had four Java Finch birds, found one of them missing on February 4, though the cage was locked.

As he tried to get a closer look, a cobra shocked him by peeping out of a nest he had built for the birds.

The man called Snake Helpline, whose volunteers went to the spot to take the 2.5-feet long snake out.

General Secretary of Snake Helpline Subhendu Mallik said: “The snake had possibly just come out of its winter hibernation and was hungry. Warm-blooded birds are a favourite meal for snakes at this time.”

Taking out the snake was a challenge as there was no space to maneuver.

Annoyed at the intruders, the cobra flared up its hood in anger and even took a swipe at Subhendu making him drop his snake stick.

Subhendu managed to catch the cobra and pull it out of the cage. He took it to a nearby forest and released it there.

The snake regurgitated a bird on its own and slithered away.

“The birds were not agitated at all despite having a predator in a striking distance. Maybe they could not see the snake, which was hiding. But I really have no idea why the birds were so normal,” said Subhendu.

This is the moment a young cobra slithers into a bird cage and takes refuge in a nest in Bhubaneshwar in eastern India.

The owner of the cage, which had four Java Finch birds, found one of them missing on February 4, though the cage was locked.

As he tried to get a closer look, a cobra shocked him by peeping out of a nest he had built for the birds and hissed a warning.

The man called Snake Helpline, whose volunteers went to the spot to take the 2.5-feet long snake out.

General Secretary of Snake Helpline Subhendu Mallik said: “The snake had possibly just come out of its winter hibernation and was hungry. Warm-blooded birds are a favourite meal for snakes at this time.”

Taking out the snake was a challenge as there was no space to maneuver.

Annoyed at the intruders, the cobra flared up its hood in anger and even took a swipe at Subhendu making him drop his snake stick.

Subhendu managed to catch the cobra and pull it out of the cage. He took it to a nearby forest and released it there.

The snake regurgitated a bird on its own and slithered away.

“The birds were not agitated at all despite having a predator in a striking distance. May be they could not see the snake, which was hiding. But I really have no idea why the birds were so normal,” said Subhendu.