Rare 'Siamese twin' birds found in US

London, July 21 (ANI): An apparent set of 'Siamese twin' birds, which are conjoined, has been discovered in Arkansas in the US.

According to a report in the Telegraph, the pair of barn swallows, attached at the hip by skin and possibly muscle tissue, is being sent to the Smithsonian Institution for examination and confirmation.

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The officials at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission have described the finding as incredibly rare.

"I can't even say it's one in a million - it's probably more than that," said Karen Rowe, an ornithologist with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. "There's just very little to no records of such a thing," she added.

The birds, found in White County, fell out of a nest as a healthy sibling flew off to learn how to hunt with its parents, said Rowe.

The birds first appeared to have only three legs, but further examination found a fourth leg tucked up underneath the skin connecting the pair.

According to Rowe, the landowner who found them probably kept the birds for a day before calling wildlife officials.

By the time officials arrived, the birds were not eating. One died early Friday and a veterinarian later put the other one down.

"Finding conjoined birds is rare because they likely die before being discovered," said Rowe.

X-rays of the pair found each bird was fully formed. Rowe said that the birds would have had to come from a double-yolk egg.

Barn swallows can live for several years, though the conjoined twins might not have lived that long even if they had been separated. (ANI)