Tagged in Manipur, Amur falcon returns after flying 3,800 km in 93 hrs
A satellite-tagged male Amur falcon (Falco amurensis), part of Manipur Government and the Wildlife Institute of India’s project to document migratory patterns, has returned to India on Wednesday after a remarkable non-stop flight of 3,800 kms in just 93 hours from South Africa’s Botswana.
The return flight of Chiuluan2, the falcon named after Chiuluan village in Manipur’s Tamenglong, where it was tagged and released into the forest last November, charted a predictable path from South Africa’s Botswana to India. Here, it will halt for a while before departing for the breeding grounds in northeastern Asia.
The return flight began four days ago with the bird following its predicted path to the NorthEast, often touching a speed of around 47 km/hour.
It flew straight over the Arabian sea to enter India for a brief layover. The journey is being tracked by Wildlife Institute of India (WII) scientist Suresh Kumar, who is part of the Manipur Amur Falcon Tagging project. Kumar, along with Manipur forest officials, was present at the forest location on November 24, 2024 when two Amur Falcons — Chiuluan2 (male) and Gwangram (female) — were satellite tagged and released into the forests of Chiuluan village.
“We started monitoring these birds in 2013 under a Government of India project launched in response to mass hunting of Amur Falcons in Manipur and Nagaland. We’ve worked with local communities to raise awareness about the bird’s rarity and importance. Now, these communities are part of the conservation programme,” said Kumar.
“Last year we tagged this male in November and have been tracking its flight and the spectacular migration journey,” he added.
The bird was in the Kalahari desert and then in South Africa in January. Tagging such migratory birds help researchers to monitor their routes, behaviour and survival which further helps seek international cooperation in protecting migratory birds. According to experts, these birds can travel nonstop for 6,000 kms in six days and travel over four continents in a year.
Protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, these falcons breed in southeast Russia and northeast China during the summer and migrate to Africa in winters. Their yearly journey covers over 20,000 km, passing through Afghanistan and East Asia. Along the way, they stop in Somalia and northeast India, including Nagaland and Manipur, in October.
The Amur Falcons leave the region in November after feeding themselves enough to sustain their nonstop flight to Africa, where they spend their winters.
This is the Falcon’s northbound (spring) migration which involves departing from South Africa to fly north, cross the Arabian Sea to reach the Arabian Peninsula, fly east and north passing India and finally reach the breeding grounds of northeastern Asia.
The falcon’s southbound (autumn) migration which commenced last November took it from Asia and through the Himalayas via India, then south over the Indian Ocean. Known as global citizens since they travel for thousands of kms every year, these birds stay in India only as a pit stop on their to and fro journey.
India