Bird Barrage

One in the hand, 1,500 in the apartment

Officials in Berlin say they have rescued 1,500 parakeets from a small two-room apartment. City veterinarian Margit Platzer told news agency AP that the birds were flying freely around the apartment, which was "littered with feces, feathers and leftover food."

Platzer says it took her team more than seven hours on Tuesday to catch all the birds with nets. The small birds, which are a main attraction in pet shops around the world, were taken Wednesday to animal shelters in and around the German capital. Due to the large number of birds, many of them were placed in facilities outside the city.

Local media reported, without citing sources, that the owner gradually bought and bred the birds until his apartment was full, and that neighbors had complained about the noise and smell.

The retired man, who was not identified, could face charges for endangering the animals' safety and health.