A squirrel has been caught red-pawed in a daring daylight bird feeder raid — while a pigeon lurked below like a seasoned accomplice, ready to cash in on the chaos.

Captured on CCTV in a residential garden in London on 2 June 2025, the 41-second clip shows the squirrel scaling a wall bracket with impressive agility before flipping itself upside down to reach a hanging bird feeder. With all the confidence of a seasoned food thief, the squirrel paws frantically at the feeder, dislodging a flurry of seeds in the process.

While all eyes are drawn to the airborne antics, the real punchline is waiting on the ground. A lone pigeon strolls into frame and immediately begins scooping up the falling seed, clearly benefiting from the squirrel’s messy work. The scene plays out like an oddly wholesome wildlife heist — one providing the distraction, the other quietly cashing in.

The footage has already drawn comparisons to Mission: Impossible, with the squirrel channeling its inner Tom Cruise and the pigeon operating like a feathered getaway driver. Social media users have praised the “unspoken alliance” and dubbed the scene “one of the most unexpectedly brilliant bits of urban nature ever caught on camera.”

While squirrels and pigeons are both common in British gardens, it’s rare to see such perfectly timed behaviour between the two — and even rarer to capture it on video. The comedic contrast between the squirrel’s frenzied movements and the pigeon’s calm, opportunistic strategy is what’s winning people over.

The video’s owner, who installed the camera to monitor visiting wildlife, says it’s not the first time the squirrel has caused mischief — but this is the first time it’s been caught so spectacularly in the act.

With viewers calling it a “natural comedy double act”, the footage is already being touted as a viral hit in the making.