Kuala Lumpur  - Malaysian wildlife officers arrested three Vietnamese men in a mangrove swamp for poaching protected species of birds, a news report said Sunday.

About 400 black-crowned night heron (Nycticoraqx nycticorax) eggs and chicks were seized from the suspects, aged 21 to 34, the Star daily reported.

Wildlife director Rahmat Topani, who led the operation Saturday after a month's surveillance, said they were alerted by several conservationists living nearby.

The Vietnamese men believed that consumption of the bird's meat would increase the libido, he said.

Rahmat said all three men had admitted to poaching for self-consumption with fellow Vietnamese workers from a nearby printing factory in the central Selangor state.

The suspects would be charged on Wednesday, and could face fines of 6,000 ringgit (1,740 dollars) and up to six years in jail. (dpa)