The moment a Kingfisher dived underwater and caught its prey with perfect precision has been captured on camera in a series of spectacular underwater snaps.

The rare shots were taken by Alan McFadyen in the River Tarff, near Kirkcudbright in South West Scotland, reports the Story Trender.

Alan made a special waterproof housing for his camera so he could submerge it underwater and capture the rarely seen moment.

The wildlife photographer then used fish as bait to lure the tiny bird into position.

Finally, Alan struck gold when a Kingfisher plunged 12 inches into the water to catch the fish.

Alan said: ‘I had a wireless remote receiver that allowed me to take photos from 50 metres away.

‘I sat back in a hide and waited for it to come and hopefully dive where I wanted it to go.

‘It’s not easy to predict where they are going to dive it’s also so difficult to get the focus right.

‘Millions of photographs of Kingfishers are taken each year in the UK but very few show them doing what they do under water.

‘It’s very rare to see.’