They're ordinary hair rollers, but their purpose was FAR from ordinary.

And those feathers will give you a clue.

Customs officials at JFK airport in New York caught a passenger trying to smuggle 70 lives finches stuffed inside the rollers.

An agriculture specialist discovered the birds on Saturday in the bag of a traveler who had just arrived from Georgetown, Guyana (guy-ana).

The birds were hidden inside a duffel bag.

The finches were reportedly brought to the U.S. to participate in singing contests where people bet on how many times the bird chirps.

Customs officials say a winning male finch can sell for up to $10,000.

The birds were confiscated and the passenger was quarantined and eventually sent back to Guyana.