In February 2020, reports started to circulate about a traveler from Beijing who had a "suitcase full of dead birds" confiscated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after he tried to "disguise" the item as pet food:
These reports were based on a genuine incident that occurred at Washington Dulles International Airport on Feb. 10, 2020. However, this traveler did not attempt to "disguise" this item as a pet food product or try to hide it from customs officials. The traveler declared the single, sealed package of pet food to customs officials. And while those residing in the United States may not consider dead birds as a treat for pets, small freeze-dried birds, such as quail, are sold as pet food in Asia.
This rumor spun off of a release from CBP about a bag of dead birds that was confiscated from a traveler's luggage at Dulles:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists recently seized a package of tiny dead birds in a passenger’s baggage at Washington Dulles International Airport.
The traveler arrived on a flight from Beijing, China January 27 and was destined to an address in Prince George’s County, Maryland. During a baggage examination, CBP agriculture specialists discovered a package with pictures of a cat and dog that the passenger said was cat food. The package contained a bunch of unknown small birds, about 2.5 to 3.5 inches in length.
