Police in Virginia are searching for a 'bird bandit' who robbed a McDonald's customer while carrying 3 parrots

• Police in Virginia are hunting a "bird bandit" who robbed a McDonald's customer.
• The suspect held the man at knifepoint while carrying three parrots on his hat and shoulders.

Police in Virginia are on the hunt for a "bird bandit" who was carrying three parrots when he robbed a McDonald's customer at knifepoint.

The Fairfax County Police Department said a victim was robbed of an unknown sum of cash on Tuesday morning by a man carrying two parrots on his cowboy hat and another on his shoulder.

The suspect, who was wearing a patterned shirt, fled the scene in the Seven Corners area of Fairfax County in a blue Ford SUV.

The man was described as Hispanic, between the ages of 28 and 32, and had tattoos.

Video supplied by police showed the suspect leaving a McDonald's restaurant after briefly turning and sticking out his arm.

Police said the victim was receiving specialist support from the department.

McDonald's didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Quirky robberies can go viral for the wrong reasons and mean extra attention for the suspect, potentially helping authorities track them down.

In July, a man attempted to hold up a nail salon in Atlanta, but left empty-handed when he was forced to give up after staff decided to to ignore his demand to hand over cash.