U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in Washington, D.C., seized a package of dead birds from the luggage of a passenger traveling from China, the agency announced on Monday.

The unidentified person arrived at Dulles International Airport on a flight from Beijing on January 27, where CBP agriculture specialists initiated a baggage inspection and discovered the prohibited birds -- which the passenger said was cat food, officials said.

Due to fears over the highly contagious bird flu, the deceased animals were promptly incinerated with USDA approval.

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The passenger was reportedly heading to an address in Maryland. It's not clear what type of small birds were inside the package and CBP said they were 2.5 to 3.5 inches in length.

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“These dead birds are prohibited from importation to the United States as unprocessed birds pose a potentially significant disease threat to our nation’s poultry industries and more alarmingly to our citizens as potential vectors of avian influenza,” said Casey Durst, Director of Field Operations for CBP’s Baltimore Field Office.

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The regulation of animal imports into the U.S. are conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

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Those consigning and importing certain products should make sure they comply with licensing, certification and importation requirements, CBP said.