Seagull Swallows Rat Whole In Boston

NORTH END, MA — If you ever wondered if seagulls ever eat rats, the answer is yes.

In a video published last week, Thomas Scott Oldbury, who was visiting Boston, captured a scene that might give you dry heaves. Or it could give you an idea on how to tamp down on the city's rodent population.

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation has tips on what not to feed seagulls. It doesn't mention anything about rats.

"I was just walking down to brunch and saw that giant dinosaur seagull interested in something on the ground," Oldbury told Patch. When he realized the bird was going to eat the rat, he pulled out his cell phone and started taking the video.

In it, you can see Salem Street near Charter Street and a seagull standing in the middle of the road. As the camera zooms in a bit, you can see he's near what appears to be a dead rat.

To sound of gasps by those off camera, the bird then picks up the rat in his beak and gulls it down. Weighed down with a rat in its throat, it appears the bird has a bit of trouble flying up to the top of a parked car nearby. And then it seems to struggle with getting the rodent all the way down.

The cameraman gets closer and someone off camera points out that the rat's tail is still hanging out of the bird's beak.

And off it flies into the Boston sunset, just before a near miss with a car coming down the street as the bird adjusts to the weight of the rat.

As for Oldbury's appetite?

"Nothing phases me when it comes to food. If anything, it was like that gull is having a great cheat day," he said. "Me too."

Anyone thinking about Pizza Rat?

Check out Oldbury's video, complete with colorful commentary here.

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Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).