Japan - The Bird Head Man, AKA a Japanese ornithologist who just couldn't seem to catch a break, has taken social media by storm as his hilariously tragic tale goes viral.

Last month, University of Tokyo professor Toshitaka Suzuki posted about an unnamed colleague's unusual approach to bird research.

The pair were in the forests of Nagano Prefecture, observing and conducting hands-on research to do with a bird species called the great tit (don't you dare laugh!).

These skittish little birds are easily frightened, and, unfortunately for these scientists, they also have the unique ability to remember specific human faces.

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If they see someone who's managed to get on their bad side, the great tits will stop their normal chirping and emit a distress call to warn the rest of the flock.

This distress call has put a damper on one particular unnamed scientist's research to the point where... well, let's just say that some extreme measures were taken.

The anonymous Japanese researcher, who conducts research on the behavior and evolutionary chemistry of bats and birds, appears to have wronged the great tits somehow.

We don't know the particulars of their alleged beef, but hey, birds gonna bird.

So, the scientist wore a novelty pigeon mask for a whole year in an attempt to get close to the birds without triggering their distress calls.

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Toshitaka's posts lead us to believe that several different bird masks were attempted by his colleague, but alas - the plan didn't work. The tits could still tell that it was him under there somehow and wouldn't stop making a fuss.

These are some salty birds, folks!

To add insult to injury, Toshitaka also shared a video of his colleague trying to get his glasses on over the bird mask and failing miserably. Poor, poor Bird Head Man.