SPRINGFIELD — Officials on Wednesday removed more than 60 birds from a house in Springfield where there was an alleged cockfighting ring, the MSPCA-Angell announced.

The Massachusetts State Police and Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals carried out a warrant in the afternoon at a house on the corner of Chapin Terrace and Chestnut Street in the city.

Officers reportedly saw “dozens of birds living in multiple structures in a manner commonly associated with cockfighting operations,” a statement from the animal cruelty prevention agency said.

Cockfighting, which is illegal in the U.S., “relies on cruelty for profit,” the agency said, forcing two birds to fight — often to the death — for gambling and entertainment. The animals that survive often suffer severe inju

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