Down in in one! The revolting moment a Central Park heron does his part to help with NYC's rat problem and swallows one WHOLE

 This is the revolting moment a heron does his part to help with New York City's rat problem - swallowing a huge rodent whole in Central Park. 

Footage shows the Great Blue Heron reaching down in a pond and grabbing the dead rat with its beak on Sunday morning. 

The hungry bird appears to struggle to get its chops around the rodent, bobbing several times before it gets a hold of the rat. 

With only the rat's tail visible, the heron then throws back its head and swallows the rodent whole. 

New York is the third most rat-infested city in the country behind Chicago and Los Angeles.  

This is the revolting moment a heron does his part to help with New York City's rat problem - swallowing a huge rodent whole in Central Park

This is the revolting moment a heron does his part to help with New York City's rat problem - swallowing a huge rodent whole in Central Park

Footage shows the Great Blue Heron reaching down in the Central Park pond, grabbing the dead rat with its beak, and gobbling it in a single bite on Sunday morning

Footage shows the Great Blue Heron reaching down in the Central Park pond, grabbing the dead rat with its beak, and gobbling it in a single bite on Sunday morning

The grim video shows the rodent in the heron's beak
The heron throws its head back and the rat appears to slide down its throat

The grim video shows the rodent in the heron's beak before the bird throws its head back and the rat appears to slide down its throat

The footage was shot by David Barrett, founder of Manhattan Bird Alert, who posted the video online. 

'Great Blue Herons eat plenty of fish, but they won't pass up a meaty and filling New York City rat—this morning at the Central Park Pond. 

'It took the Great Blue Heron only a few seconds to lift the rat, once killed, out of the water and swallow it—this morning at the Central Park Pond', he wrote.  

Barrett told the NY Post it was rare for herons to chow down on a rat, usually opting for frogs, crabs, or smaller rodents.        

Residents were quick to praise the bird for its help  tackling the city's rat infestation, with on describing the video as 'the lord's work'. 


The footage was shot by David Barrett, founder of Manhattan Bird Alert, who posted the video online. 

'Great Blue Herons eat plenty of fish, but they won't pass up a meaty and filling New York City rat—this morning at the Central Park Pond. 

'It took the Great Blue Heron only a few seconds to lift the rat, once killed, out of the water and swallow it—this morning at the Central Park Pond', he wrote.  

Barrett told the NY Post it was rare for herons to chow down on a rat, usually opting for frogs, crabs, or smaller rodents.        

Residents were quick to praise the bird for its help  tackling the city's rat infestation, with on describing the video as 'the lord's work'.

Another said the bird was putting 'the hero in heron' while others questioned how to attract more of herons to New York. 

'The logical question is how do we attract more Great Blue Herons to New York City?', one wrote. 

Another suggested 'let's put thousands of herons on the subway'.

One user questioned how the bird was able to swallow the massive rodent, asking: 'knowing how big these rats are, how big is the damn bird!?' 

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