Fifty-four lorikeets — brightly-coloured parrots that are found in parts of South East Asia, Australia and New Guinea — headed to the city from Bangladesh were rescued early on Wednesday, the BSF has said.

The BSF, posted along the India-Bangladesh border near Bongaon in North 24-Parganas, rescued the birds. Forest department officials identified the birds by seeing their pictures, a BSF officer said.

Lorikeets live in large flocks in the wild and are medium-sized parrots, a forest official said. They are preferred as pets because they can mimic and learn to talk easily.

Officers of a BSF patrol team at the Tentulberia border outpost spotted a few men moving suspiciously with two large objects covered in clothes.

When they asked the men to stop, they apparently dropped the objects and ran into a nearby bamboo thicket.

“On inspection our men found the birds crammed in two cages that were each covered with a piece of cloth,” the BSF officer said.

The BSF contacted the wildlife crime control bureau and the forest department, whose officials identified the birds and advised the officers to feed them some fruits, the officer said.

At least six varieties of lorikeets, including 11 chattering lorikeets, 13 red and blue lorikeets, eight black-capped lorikeets, eight black lorikeets, six brown lorikeets and eight violet-necked lorikeets have been rescued.

All the birds have been handed over to the hospital at Alipore zoo.

A zoo official said the birds appeared “extremely traumatised” as they had been crammed in cages. “We have given them oral rehydration salts as well as some fruits.”

The birds will be in quarantine for at least 14 days.

The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, bans trading in wildlife but wildlife trafficking has emerged as a multi-billion dollar trade. Southeast Asia is the largest market for wild animals as well as products from India. And Calcutta is the favourite corridor for smugglers, a forest official said.

“Consignments change hands multiple times before reaching their final destinations,” the forest official said.