A BRAZEN gang shocked the owner of a Southern Downs business when they stole a protected native bird from a tourist attraction in front of witnesses.

Queen Mary Falls Caravan and Tourist Park owner Louise Reed watched the drama unfold from her cafe.

"There were four people - two girls, two guys - and I was looking out to where this group was," Mrs Reed said.

"I could see there were a whole heap of crimson rosellas on the other side of the road.

"I was just watching, because it was a bit unusual, and I said to the girls, 'I think they're going to take a bird'."

Mrs Reed was on the mark.

One of the four grabbed a bird by its tail, threw it in their car and closed the door.

Mrs Reed rushed over the to the group and confronted them.

"They were all gung ho, saying, 'We're not stealing. If we drove off, we'd be stealing'.

"Then one of them just laughed."

They jumped in the car and were off, speeding away from the national park.

Mrs Reed's instant reaction was to give chase.

"We tried to chase them; I was just so angry," Mrs Reed said.

They were eventually lost and Mrs Reed returned home, infuriated and disappointed.

"When somebody does something like this it's just so disappointing."

A Department of Environment and Heritage Protection spokeswoman condemned the activity.

"Crimson rosellas are a protected species, and it's illegal to take them from the wild," she said.

Penalties for harming wildlife or taking them from their habitat can be as high as two years jail or over $350,000 in fines under the Nature Conservation Act.