These are the rare birds worth hundreds of thousands on the black market that were seized at an Italian airport from a man using false paperwork.The two black shaheen falcons (Falco peregrinus peregrinator) were taken at the Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in the Italian capital of Rome, according to a police report by the country's Financial Guard on 6th October.They were seized from an Italian citizen, who has not been named, while he was trying to smuggle them into the country by presenting false documentation when questioned by authorities.According to the Italian man, the two peregrine falcons in his possession were born in Spain under captivity, however, authorities noticed the rings used on the birds did not match the ones used in Spain, which lead to further examination.The smuggler was apparently unaware that the birds are sometimes fitted with a ring around their legs which is linked to their documentation, used to track their movements and confirm their pedigree, as falcons have 19 accepted subspecies.The investigation included the help of the Ministry of the Environment and Land Protection, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Spanish authorities.