Lucknow, Oct 27 - Two men have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Lalitpur district and charged with killing five Siberian cranes, state forest department officials said here Tuesday.

Rakesh Rathaur and Chotu -- both in their early 30s -- were nabbed Monday evening in Baraut town in Lalitpur, some 300 km from Lucknow for allegedly killing the highly endangered birds, the officials said.

"Acting on a tip-off from the Special Operation Group (SOG), we managed to nab the two and recovered carcasses of five Siberian cranes," ranger Anil Srivastava told IANS.

"The two have confessed that they killed the birds by dissolving poison in water reservoirs situated near the Govind Sagar Dam in Lalitpur," he added.

According to officials, a case under section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) has been registered against the two.

Many Siberian birds migrate to India every winter. Most of them are protected by law.

But, according to officials, the meat of Siberian birds is in high demand in local markets. (IANS)