Photographer Nitin Jain said he was shocked to witness the battle taking place on a waterway in Pune, India

A dramatic battle then took place as it was pulled into the water several times during the minute-long struggle

The kingfisher was nearly drowned after it tried to eat a snake but the reptile fought back, grabbing it by the neck


This is the dramatic moment a kingfisher nearly drowned after a snake it tried to eat fought back and dragged it underwater by the neck.

The incredible battle was captured by amateur photographer Nitin Jain, 38, while he was admiring the wildlife in Pune, India.

During the minute-long battle the ferocious Keelback snake can be seen thrashing out of the water, grabbing the kingfisher around the neck and dunking it back under the water multiple times.

The kingfisher found itself in a battle for survival after the snake managed to grip it around the neck

After getting a firm grip on the bird, the snake managed to pull it underwater several times

The two animals violently twisted and thrashed at the water's surface for about a minute

The dramatic battle was captured by amateur photographer Nitin Jain, in Pune, India

The snake wraps itself around the kingfisher's neck, preventing it from escaping

The incredible images show the bird flapping and squawking as it inches closer to being submerged

Despite its best attempts to escape, the kingfisher is pulled down to the water's surface

It was then held underwater by the snake, which kept a firm grip on its throat

Photographer Nitin Jain said he was 'shocked' when he realised the two creatures were fighting

The struggle seemingly proved too much for the kingfisher as it was pulled under water by the snake, when suddenly the kingfisher used all it's energy to free itself from the snakes grasp and fly away in a dramatic escape.

Fleeing to a nearby tree, the kingfisher remained still for the next two hours, taking time to recover from his shock battle.

Mr Jain said he was 'shocked' to see the bird emerge from the water while clashing with a snake.

'I was photographing herons, egrets, and cormorants, I was not at all expecting such action to happen. I felt very lucky to witness something like this.

I have been photographing Kingfishers for many years now, but have never seen such behaviour. This is very unusual, I checked the Internet after photographing this, but could not find anything similar.

'I went to the same place at least 20 more times but such thing did not happen again.'

In this picture, the kingfisher can be seen making its getaway after breaking free of the snake's grasp

It quickly flew away, with any thoughts of searching for another meal clearly put aside