An egret was found with a mussel attached to its foot in northern China. This is exactly what’s been told in a Chinese idiom - a fight between an egret and a mussel benefits the farmer.

The video shows the bird’s foot was bitten by the mussel which was the size of an adult’s palm. A man was holding the bird while the other tried to smash the mussel with a rock.

One man gently lifted the claws of the egret, trying to break the mussel, but the mussel's grip was tightening. So the man found a small stick and gently pinned the mussel shell. The mussel was finally opened. The bird was set free and flew away over the river.

Wu Jinhe found the scene during his patrol down the river. He saw an egret strangely standing still in the riverside when the kind of birds usually flew right away when they spotted a man ten meters away. Wu thought the bird might be in trouble so he stopped and found the bird was burdened by a big river mussel that weighed 500 grams.

Wu Jinhe weighed the big clam: "It's no wonder that the little guy can't fly away, being sandwiched by such a large clam."

The men were rewarded by a government department as egret is a nationally protected animal.

The video was filmed on April 28 and provided by local media.

An egret was found being gripped by a river mussel on its foot in northern China. This is exactly what’s been told in a Chinese idiom: a fight between an egret and a mussel benefits the farmer.