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An unusual visitor turned up near a beach on the west coast of Scotland recently - a black swan.

Unlike the white mute swans we are used to seeing, black swans have black feathers and red beaks.

The species, which originally came from Australia is rarely seen in the wild in the UK and only four others have been sighted in Scotland.

Jim Waugh from North Ayrshire, took photos of the swan in Saltcoats and posted the photos on social media.

He said: "First time I've ever seen a black swan in the wild."

He also said "A very rare sight here - only four others have ever been reported as living in the wild in Scotland."

Black swans are common in the wetlands of south western and eastern Australia and adjacent coastal islands.

A study of bird populations in the British Isles in 2012 found there were just 37 confirmed nesting pairs of black swans in the country.

In Dawlish in Devon, the bird has become a symbol of the town. Small numbers of the species has been seen in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, Stockton on Tees.

Black swans are vegetarians, using their metre long necks to reach down and eat algae and underwater weeds.

On the ground, a group of black swans is called a bank. When flying in a group, they are called a wedge.