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The man was seized as he attempted to board a flight to America when customs officers noticed a series of 'unusual bulges' in his trousers.

"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"

They never could have imagined that those bulges were, in fact, the frightened and wriggling bodies of 66 rare birds, all of which he had sewn into the lining of his clothes.

Customs officer Hermogenes Yonsiver explained: "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.

"He said: 'What I have here is a pigeon that is a gift for my grandson' but that too was a lie. He then wanted to continue on his way.

"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 had probably been stolen to order for the equivalent of thousands of pounds, police said.

The man faces up to two years in prison if found guilty

But, devastatingly, two of the birds which had been sewn into the lining near the man's genitals were dead when he was ordered him to strip.

The man is reportedly still being questioned - and, according to police sources, he faces up to two years in prison.