Stunned Glasgow shipyard staff had to call in animal experts after believing they had discovered a stowaway penguin on a barge.
Workers at the BAE Systems Govan yard in Glasgow were unloading a barge from Europe when they made the bizarre find.
The feathery creature quickly became the centre of attention as word spread around the site, with workers taking photos and videos of the 'penguin' as it waddled around the shipyard.
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But hopes of a new friend from the Antarctic were dashed when the Scottish SPCA identified the bird as a guillemot, a seabird with 950,000 breeding pairs around the coast of the UK.
An expert from the SPCA advised staff to let the bird back into the water after being told it was uninjured.
Still, news of a 'penguin' set tongues wagging as to how it ended up in Glasgow.
A source said: "The staff were working on a barge which had come in from Europe and suddenly there was a burst of excitement.
"Nobody could quite believe what they were seeing and it looked as if there was a real live penguin in the middle of the shipyard.
"It walked like a penguin and didn't really seem to have any intention of flying away.
"Folk were taking photos and videos while someone phoned the Scottish SPCA.
"It turned out not to be a penguin but the excitement was good while it lasted."
Scottish SPCA animal rescue officer Aaron Air, said, "We received reports to our helpline of a suspected penguin in need that had come in on one of the boats at the shipyard at BAE Systems in Govan.
"It turned out this was not a penguin at all but a guillemot.
"The guillemot was completely uninjured and we therefore did not need to attend. We advised workers to let the bird make its way back to the water.
"We are still attending to reports of birds in need, but in response to avian flu were are no longer taking wild birds in to the care of our National Wildlife Rescue Centre.
"If you come across a sick or injured animal, please call our helpline on 03000 999 999 for advice."
BAE Systems were approached for comment.
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