A US-based Guyanese was recently arrested at JFK Airport trying to smuggle 13 singing finches, popularly known as Twa Twa, hidden inside hair curlers, according to the New York Daily News.

The report said that the birds were meant to be entered in singing contests popular in the Guyanese community during which “concert”-goers wager on which finch has the best voice, according to federal authorities.

The newspaper said that Customs and Border Patrol officers became suspicious when they noticed grass seed in the luggage of the man who had arrived at JFK from Guyana on July 8.

“Recognizing that grass seed is used by individuals smuggling finches from Guyana to feed birds, the officers continued their inspection,” the official complaint against the man stated, the report said.  It was stated that the man’s carry-on luggage allegedly contained a paper bag in which the finches were concealed inside plastic hair curlers.

The complaint notes that finches from Guyana are valuable commodities because they’re believed to sing better than finches from other countries. In the singing contests after the bets are placed, a judge determines which finch has the best voice, the complaint stated. “Many who attend the singing contests place wagers on the birds,” U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Special Agent Richard Gamba said in the complaint.

“A finch who wins many competitions becomes quite valuable and can sell for in excess of US$5,000.”

Under Guyanese law, the export of wild birds,  including finches,  is illegal.  The man, a hospital worker, was released on his own recognizance.