Driving across the Samburu savanna, a Grey Heron was noticed looking intensely at the tall grass in front. Then it moved forward, slowly and silently, with minimum disturbance to the grass blades around it. The target in the grass had locked the bird’s attention. Suddenly it struck its dagger-like bill with lightning speed and a brown field rat was caught alive by the swift jab. Next, the heron wriggled the beak so that the head of the rat was closest to the mouth. The rat was then swallowed alive. The strong digestive juices in the bird’s stomach will kill the rat almost instantly. .