Migratory birds Amur Falcons arrive in Manipur, to stay for a month

Imphal: Known as the world’s longest travelling bird, Amur Falcons, is said to have arrived in Manipur’s Tamenglong district after months-long stay at their summer breeding grounds in southeast Russia and northeast China.

As per the Tamenglong Forest Division, the first batch of the migratory birds which locally known as ‘Akhuaipuina’ were spotted by locals on October 9. The arrival of the migratory birds after their summer sojourn signaled the five Amur Falcons tagged with GPS soon to reach in the region.

Last year, five Amur Falcons were fitted with satellite radio transmitters by the state forest department in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun to study and monitor the route of the migratory birds. They were named as Chiulon, Puching, Phalong, Irang and Barak and naming after the places and rivers in Tamenglong.

As per the researchers at the Wildlife Institute of India, Chiulon has reached near Xuzhou city and Irang is near Linyi city of China as on October 7.

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Each year, this world’s longest travelling birds arrive in northeast region, mostly in Manipur and parts of Nagaland in the fall before they migrate to their winter breeding grounds in South Africa by undertaking a yearly journey of around 20,000 km.

Amur Falcons, which is one of the least known birds among 69 falcon species, normally rest for a month from late October to November mostly at a roosting site at Chiuluan village in Tamenglong before they headed for their winter breeding grounds and stayed three months in South Africa.

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