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The UAE passenger had been keeping the birds inside an open cardboard box inside a plastic bag on July 16, UCBP said.
The woman failed to notify airline gate attendants that she was carrying the birds onto the flight.
CBP agriculture specialists met the flight as it arrived, secured the birds in a filtered crate, and took the birds to CBP’s agriculture quarantine inspections lab. Agriculture specialists also referred the woman, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Iraq, to a secondary examination to inspect her baggage.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Veterinary Services arrived and inspected the birds, which were identified as juvenile White-eared Bulbuls. The traveler did not have veterinary certifications to export the birds from Iraq or to import the birds to the United States. The USDA veterinarians confirmed that the White-eared Bulbuls are not a protected or endangered species.
During a baggage examination, CBP agriculture specialists discovered prohibited chicken seasoning and wooden sticks and seized them as potential threats to U.S. agriculture.
The USDA retained custody of the birds. CBP released the traveler to continue her travel.
Birds present the potential for introducing diseases, such as the virulent Newcastle disease and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). Both diseases affect poultry, are serious diseases of concern, and are highly contagious.
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