An Isis leader attempting to record a video in which he renews his allegiance to the terror group was repeatedly interrupted by a squawking bird.

The footage, shot by the Yemeni branch of Isis, shows the kneeling man check his notes before launching into an oath which is immediately drowned out by the animal's call.

The jihadi, identified as Abu Muhammad al-Adeni, also appears to struggle with his own nerves. He repeatedly forgets his lines and at one point is told by another militant to “stay calm, keep cool”.

Dr Elisabeth Kendall, a Middle East expert at Oxford University who shared the video, said the footage, which was shot in September 2017, was released by Al-Qaeda earlier this week in an attempt to mock its regional rival.

Al-Qaeda militants are likely to have discovered the out-takes after overrunning a camp in a Yemeni province in which Isis is losing its foothold.

Timeline of the Isis caliphate Show all 19 1 /19 Timeline of the Isis caliphate Timeline of the Isis caliphate ISIS began as a group by the merging of extremist organisations ISI and al-Nusra in 2013. Following clashes, Syrian rebels captured the ISIS headquarters in Aleppo in January 2014 (pictured) AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi declared the creation of a caliphate in Mosul on 27 June 2014 Timeline of the Isis caliphate Isis conquered the Kurdish towns of Sinjar and Zumar in August 2014, forcing thousands of civilians to flee their homes. Pictured are a group of Yazidi Kurds who have fled Rex Timeline of the Isis caliphate On September 2 2014 Isis released a video depicting the beheading of US journalist Steven Sotloff. On September 13 they released another video showing the execution of British aid worker David Haines Timeline of the Isis caliphate The US launched its first airstrikes against Isis in Syria on 23 September 2014. Here Lt Gen William C Mayville Jnr speaks about the bombing campaign in the wake of the first strikes Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Isis militants sit atop a hill planted with their flag in the Syrian town of Kobani on 6 October 2014. They had been advancing on Kobani since mid-September and by now was in control of the city’s entrance and exit points AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Residents of the border village of Alizar keep guard day and night as they wait in fear of mortar fire from Isis who have occupied the nearby city of Kobani Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Smoke rises following a US airstrike on Kobani, 28 October 2014 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate YPG fighters raise a flag as they reclaim Kobani on 26 January 2015 VOA Timeline of the Isis caliphate Isis seized the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra on 20 May 2015. This image show the city from above days after its capture by Isis Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Kurdish forces are stationed on a hill above the town of Sinjar as smoke rises following US airstrikes on 12 November 2015 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Kurdish forces enter Sinjar after seizing it from Isis control on 13 November 2015 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Iraqi government forces make the victory sign as they retake the city of Fallujah from ISIS on 26 June 2016 Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Iraqi forces battle with Isis for the city of Mosul on 30 June 2017 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Members of the Iraqi federal police raise flags in Mosul on 8 July 2017. On the following day, Iraqi prime minister Haider Al Abadi declares victory over Isis in Mosul Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Members of Syrian Democratic Forces celebrate in Al-Naim square after taking back the city of Raqqa from Isis. US-backed Syrian forces declare victory over Isis in Raqqa on 20 October 2017 after a four-month long campaign Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Female fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces celebrate in Al-Naim Square after taking back the city of Raqqa from Isis. US-backed Syrian forces declare victory over Isis in Raqqa on 20 October 2017 after a four-month long campaign AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Trucks full of women and children arrive from the last Isis-held areas in Deir ez-Zor, Syria in January 2019 They were among the last civilians to be living in the ISIS caliphate, by this time reduced to just two small villages in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor Richard Hall/The Independent Timeline of the Isis caliphate Zikia Ibrahim, 28, with her two-year-old son and 8-month-old daughter, after fleeing the Isis caliphate, on Saturday 26 January 2019 Richard Hall/The Independent

“Heroic bird relentlessly drowns out ISIS-Y's attempt to renew allegiance to the caliph,” Dr Kendall tweeted, in reference to the Yemeni affiliate of Isis. “Leader's feeble memory adds to the woes ... These bodged ‘takes’ didn't make it into the official video of this solemn event, released end July.”

Dr Kendall later told The Independent: “One of the interesting things for me here is Al-Qaeda do counter-narratives better than we do, using humour and mockery in a local and very clever way."

The embarrassing out-takes come amid a resurgence by Isis, which has been steadily rebuilding its capabilities since the defeat of its Syrian and Iraqi caliphate in March this year.

In the time since, it has established “resurgent cells” in Syria and carried out assassinations, suicide attacks, abductions and arson of crops, a US government report has said.

The assessment by the Defence Department’s inspector general held Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria partially responsible for the revival of the terror group, as it “decreased the support available for Syrian partner forces at a time when their forces need more training and equipping to respond to the Isis resurgence”.