A Chinese man and his father rescued an egret whose foot was frozen to an icy brook in eastern China.

This dramatic video filmed in Linyi, Shandong on Jan 24 shows an egret flapping its wings on an icy brook with its left talon trapped in the ice.

The filmer, Xian Honglei, stumbled upon the struggling bird while put for a stroll.

As Xian approached the egret, it fluttered about and tried to attack him with its sharp beak.

Xian and his father used a tool to break the ice to rescue the egret whose left talon was seriously fractured.

The police were informed to take over the injured egret which was sent to the rescue station, according to Xian.

The egret belongs to the national protected animal in China.