Aussies left disgusted after expat spots a caged kookaburra for sale in a New York pet store An Aussie expat has spotted a caged kookaburra for sale in a New York pet store The image captured in Long Island has sparked outrage from angry Australians 'The cage bothered me' the photographer added after seeing the native bird By Tom Sargeant For Daily Mail Australia Published: 01:24 BST, 27 September 2021 | Updated: 01:24 BST, 27 September 2021 Viewcomments An Aussie expat has spotted one of the country's most iconic birds being sold as a pet on the other side of the world. A Reddit user posted a picture of a caged kookaburra in Long Island, New York on Sunday - sparking outrage from Australians. The user who took the photo said he was shocked to come 'face-to-face with this dainty sheila'. An Aussie expat has snapped a photo of a kookaburra for sale in a pet shop on Long Island, New York (pictured, the tiny cage home to the Aussie native bird) 'I lived in the States for a while. Always amazed me to see blue tongues and beardies going for hundreds when as a kid I used to just go outside and pick them up off the ground,' one user wrote. 'But this is on a different level. I can imagine a lizard might be just fine living a cozy life in a heated enclosure with live food being dropped in daily, but a kookaburra living a caged life makes me sad.' Kookaburras are native to eastern Australia and have a distinctive call which sounds like hysterical laughter. To establish their territory, tribes of kookaburras can often be seen with their heads back, making their call together in unison. However this poor bird has been trapped in a cage on the other side of the world, and Reddit users believe that it is due to birds being smuggled to the US in the 70s and 80s. Australians flocked to the post on Reddit, voicing their outrage at the sale of one of Australia's most iconic birds (pictured, a kookaburra) 'Lucky you guys have some really tight border control so smuggling isn’t as much of an issue as it used to be,' an American remarked. The user who posted the picture said while he enjoyed his encounter with the beautiful animal, seeing it so far from home was wrong. 'It was a treat to see her but, yeah, the cage bothered me,' commenter doctor_x wrote. The user who posted the image was happy to see the bird, but agreed that it was wrong to have the famous laughing kookaburra trapped (pictured, a kookaburra) 'Kookaburras are supposed to hang out with you on the railing of your back porch while you sneak them bits of ground mince as you barbecue, not live behind bars.' Other users asked the person who captured the image to take action to help the native bird. 'Please complain about this pet shop owner to anyone official that will listen. Hopefully a bird rescue or a zoo could take her in - and the other exotic animals. 'This is so sad.' Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility