Some of the 66 live, rare birds that were sewn into the man's trousers. Some of the 66 live, rare birds that were sewn into the man's trousers.

This should never happen to a bird of any feather.

A man was arrested at a Cuban airport with 66 tiny, terrified birds sewn into his trousers. He was apparently trying to smuggle them to America when he was caught.

The man was arrested when customs officers noticed some 'unusual bulges' in the man's trousers.

When the man was asked to strip, the customs officers discovered the frightened and wriggling bodies of 66 rare birds, two of which were dead, which had been sewn into the lining of his clothes near the man's genitals.

"We found all these frightened little finches and hummingbirds, some of whom had their beaks sealed shut to prevent them from singing."

Customs officer Hermogenes Yonsiver said: "As soon as he knew the game was up he tried to lie his way out of it and say he was carrying "a pigeon that is a gift for my grandson" - which was a lie.

"But he was forced to take down his trousers, and we found all these frightened little finches and hummingbirds, some of whom had their beaks sealed shut so that we wouldn't hear their singing."

All the birds were rare species and were probably stolen to fill an order for the equivalent of thousands of pounds, police said.

The man faces up to two years in prison.