Customs officers at Schiphol have confiscated 261 parrot eggs found in the hand luggage of a man and woman travelling from Central America to Asia, product safety authority NVWA said on Thursday.

The eggs are believed to have been taken from the wild and belong to several species of parrot. Each egg had been wrapped in paper, and then hidden in batches of 20 inside T-shirts.

Inspectors heard chirping while checking one of the bundles and found a chick hatching from one of the eggs. The bird has been identified as a parrot but is still too young for specialists to determine the exact species.

The chick and the remaining eggs were taken to a specialist wildlife shelter as a matter of urgency, the NVWA said. The eggs will be incubated there and the chicks will receive specialist care.

Strict international rules apply to the possession and trade of parrots, which can be highly profitable on the illegal wildlife market. Many species are protected under the Cites convention, an agreement between more than 180 countries which restricts or bans trade in endangered plants and animals.

The man and woman were arrested and remain in custody while the investigation continues.