The offender is now facing five years in prison after two sports bags were seized by officers at Moscow Domodedovo Airport.
Endangered birds worth more than £80,000 were seized by airport security when a man tried to pass them off as hand luggage.
The five rare Russian saker falcon chicks were found in the smuggler’s two sports bags as he went through customs at Domodedovo Airport in the Russian capital Moscow.
A customs spokeswoman said: "The man was headed for Armenia and officers became suspicious when they saw something move inside the bag.
"When he was stopped and asked about it, he seemed confused.
"When we opened the bag we found the three birds with hoods on their heads and their beaks tied up to stop them making a noise. Two birds were in a second bag."
Saker falcons which can have a wing span of over four feet are found in a wide arc from eastern Europe to western China.
The chicks rescued at Moscow airport are believed to be from the Siberian region of Khakassia.
Numbers have been in decline because of a loss of habitat and poaching.
The birds are frequently the target of smugglers who sell them to Arab countries where falconry is a popular sport and favourite pastime.
The customs spokesman said: "They are often smuggled out with little or no regard for their well-being.
"Smugglers do not really care about the state of them. They sometimes die of thirst or suffocation.
"Fortunately, these ones were in an okay condition. Although the man was flying to Armenia we believe the birds’ ultimate destination was an Arab state."
The birds were taken to a local nursery and the man now faces five years for smuggling.
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