A professional snake catcher had a close encounter with a coastal carpet python, which he found slithering into a bird cage, poised to strike the bird inside.

The incident was reported by People.com after Stuart McKenzie from Queensland's Sunshine Coast in Australia shared a video of the tense situation at a residence in Buderim.

The video shows a large python sprawled atop a bird cage, its head ominously trailing down the side of the enclosure. Sensing danger, the small grey bird flutters around the cage, wisely keeping to the far end, away from the encroaching snake.

"Thankfully we got here in time," McKenzie commented in the video. "When I arrived here just then, the bird and the snake were literally touching noses in between [the bars of] the enclosure. ".

He lamented that many bird and small animal cages are sold without being snake-proof. "In our industry, it's hard seeing so many families lose their pets because of this," he wrote in his post.

McKenzie pointed out that the snake can't be faulted for viewing the bird as food: "It cannot differentiate wild birds from pet birds, and is simply trying to feed itself.

We are just lucky that for the bird's sake, we came quick enough," he noted, reports the Mirror US

The python was reportedly safely relocated to a wilderness area to find its next meal - hopefully not another cherished pet.