An Australian woman has made a shock discovery inside a US pet store, finding a kookaburra for sale.

The four-year-old bird, named Thunder, was advertised for $1700 (US$1200).

It is illegal to keep kookaburras as a pet in Australia but there are no laws preventing people owning them in Virginia, where it was found.

Aussie Wendy Davidson visited the store after hearing about the bird.

She then began contacting a host of authorities in the US and here to see what could be done.

“It breaks my heart to see him caged,” she posted on Facebook.

While many have called for the bird’s return down under, the Department of Agriculture said that wouldn’t happen.

“Unfortunately, it is not possible to bring the kookaburra back to Australia,” a spokesperson told the Daily Mail.

“This is because we don’t know what diseases it may be carrying or its health history,' a spokesperson said.”

Ms Davidson said she “was deeply saddened to see one of our native protected species in a small cage alone and so far from home”.

“I couldn't stop thinking about him being a prisoner in solitary confinement,” she said.