This is the moment a suspected poacher pulled seven rare ducks from under his jacket in northern India.

The birds, believed to be gadwalls, migrate in small numbers to Uttar Pradesh to escape Siberia's frozen winters.

Forest ranger footage shows the local, named only as Arun, sheepishly pulling out bird after bird from his coat and dropping them in a pile beside him on January 1.

The suspect claiming he had bought the birds from a hunter near Alwara Lake.

The waterway is known as a haven for both local and migratory birds, according to local media.

Arun was handed over to local police who wanted him to identify the man who sold him the birds.

Local media reported that the hunters often poison the lake at night and then collect the bodies of the dead birds the next morning.

Local media said that the illegal hunting of the birds highlighted the need for better conservation in the area.