A man's hilarious reaction after he spotted what looks like a penguin on a Kent beach has been captured on camera.

As temperatures dropped below freezing this week, the flightless bird - which is almost exclusively found in Antarctica - would not have looked out of place on the icy Ramsgate coastline.

But it turns out the black and white bird snapped on the seafront was not what it appeared to be.

The video shared on Facebook yesterday afternoon captures the moment the man is stopped in his tracks by the aquatic creature.

"I've just done a run around the beach," the man says.

"Honestly, is that a f****** penguin? Looks like a f****** penguin, mate."

Many people were quick to comment on the post that it isn't a penguin - and is in fact, believed to be a guillemot.

Nature expert Nik Mitchell, from Wildlife Conservation in Thanet, says it is important people keep their distance from guillemot as it could be resting or could have something more serious, such as bird flu.

"From the video, it [looks like] a guillemot but I can’t be 100% and they’re often mistaken for penguins," he said.

"It could have bird flu - there are birds suffering from it so people really need to keep their distance - but it could have simply come out for a rest.

"Unfortunately, our entire coastline is full of people and there is nowhere for our wildlife to rest so I would just advise people to keep their distance.

"Guillemots are a seabird that often live on the ledges of high cliffs elsewhere in the country, like in Norfolk and places where there are big cliffs.

"Honestly, is that a f****** penguin?"

"But we do occasionally get them down here, particularly in the winter.

"It’s winter, times are hard so give our wildlife a break."

Last year, the 'Folkestone penguin' became a social media sensation - but it too was confirmed to have been a guillemot.

In the United Kingdom, there have been 144 confirmed cases of bird flu since October 1.

The current risk of the disease has been described as "very high" by the government.

The RSPB says the guillemot is one of a number of birds which nests in cliffs on the UK coastline.

"It comes to land only to nest, spending the rest of its life at sea, where it is vulnerable to oil spills," its website states.

"Dark brown and white, not as black as the similar razorbill, it has a 'bridled' form with a white ring round the eye and stripe behind it."