SINGAPORE - A bird thief has reportedly stolen two birds from flats in Bedok North, with one owner saying his black-crested bulbul was filched along with its cage.

The two bird owners live on the third floor at Block 522, Bedok North Avenue 1, Lianhe Wanbao reported on Wednesday (Dec 27).

The pair are neighbours and often hang their birds in cages along the corridor.

One of the owners, a 60-year-old security officer who gave his name as Mr Maliki, told Wanbao that his black-crested bulbul was worth $600.

He said the bird could sing for about an hour at one go, adding that he was very angry and pained that it was stolen.

"I have three birds at home, they all are singing black-crested bulbuls. This thief is very shrewd, he stole the one that is best in singing," he said.

The thefts occurred on Nov 25. Mr Maliki normally hangs his three birds in their cages outside his flat and covers the cages with cloth before going to bed.

However, he woke on Nov 25 to discover that one of the bulbuls was missing.

"I was rushing to work so I made a police report only after work. When I was going home that night, I told my neighbour and he said his bird had been stolen too," said Mr Maliki.

The police put out an appeal for information on its website on Tuesday (Dec 26), along with a photo of a man.

In the appeal, the police said they were looking for the man in the image to assist with investigations into a case of dishonest misappropriation of property reported at Block 522, Bedok North Avenue 1, on Nov 25.

Anyone with information should call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.

All information will be kept strictly confidential.