The forest department on Sunday recovered two common teals with broken wings from the house of a bird catcher in Barharwa village in East Champaran district.

However, the house owner, Madan Sahni, is absconding.

Following a tip-off, the raid, supported by police, was conducted in Barharwa village under Dumariya ghat police station - around 130km northeast of Patna - on Sunday morning, said divisional forest officer Mokhtarul Haque.

'The bird catcher seemed to have caused physical disability to the birds - Eurasian Teal or common teal ( Anas Crecca) - just in order to obstruct their movement and prevent them from flying,' Haque said.

A case under relevant sections of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972, has been filed against Madan.

The teals migrate to warmer Indian sub-continent from northern Europe in winter. The department is maintaining intense pressure against those into bird poaching in the district and had arrested one hotel owner last month who was selling lark meat. Fifty-six dressed larks were also recovered during that raid.