A swan who was thought to be the oldest in the UK has died at the age of 30.
Pickles hit the headlines when he celebrated his landmark birthday with a special bird cake in June.
The whooper swan, with his recognisable bright yellow beak, was popular among visitors at Leeds Castle, near Maidstone in Kent.
Mark Brattle, falconry and wildlife manager at Leeds Castle, said: ‘It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Pickles the swan, who passed away on Sunday.
‘Pickles the whooper swan, was a massive character at the castle and will be missed by staff and visitors alike.
‘The falconry and wildlife team would like to thank everyone for their kind words of support.’
Pickles – known as the ‘feathered King of the Castle’ – was often seen swimming in the moat or across the large Great Water near the building.
He arrived at Leeds Castle in 2013 aged 22, and when he arrived there was little known about him other than he had hatched sometime in early June 1991.
So the castle’s falconry and wildlife team decided to assign him a birthday and decided June 3 would be known as ‘Pickles Day’.
He used to be spotted by his loud honking call and his comical run towards his favourite member of staff, Hannah, who he took a special liking to.
A typical lifespan for whooper swans is around 10 years in the wild, but they can live into their late 20s in captivity.
They undertake one of the longest sea crossings of any swan species, migrating around 1,400km to Britain from Iceland.
There are 19 captive bred swans at Leeds Castle, including whooper swans, mute swans, trumpeter swans and the famous black swans.
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