Yellow-crowned Night Heron breaks off claws before eating Crayfish @StuffISawOutside
Yellow-crowned Night Heron breaks off claws before eating Crayfish @StuffISawOutside
Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) breaks off the claws of a Crayfish (family Cambaridae) -- probably a Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) -- before eating it at the Eastern Glades section of Memorial Park, in Houston, TX, USA.

I guess it makes sense to eliminate the most dangerous part of the prey before swallowing the prey. I wonder how the Herons learn to do this? (Or is that just instinct?)
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Yellow-crowned Night Heron breaks off claws before eating Crayfish

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