Bird gets sucked into California 'glory hole'

Digital WritersThe Weather Network
Digital Writers

The man who filmed the footage insists the bird survived.

VIDEOS: Above: Footage of the 'glory hole. Keep scrolling for footage of the bird.

There's some debate about the fate of a cormorant that was sucked into a California 'glory hole' this week in California's Napa region.

Visit our Complete Guide to Spring 2019 for an in depth look at the Spring Forecast, tips to plan for it and much more

The video was posted on social media by Tori Fowler but it was filmed by her brother Rick, who works as a water resources technician with the Solano County Water Agency.

Rick insists the bird survived the 18-storey drop, despite intense water pressure.

“It shot out of there like a bullet,” he told ABC10. “It flew through the turbulence and came out of the water shaking water like it didn’t [know] what had happened.”

But Brionna Ruff, a spokesperson for the agency that owns the spillway, says it's unlikely the bird survived.

ABC10 says the cement drain has a diametre of about 22 metres and drops about 135 metres before filtering out through the bottom.

VIDEO: MAN NARROWLY ESCAPES SINKHOLE AS IT SWALLOWS CAR