Imphal: Irang, the satellite radio tagged Amur falcon, arrived in Manipur’s Tamenglong district on Sunday evening crossing 29,000 kilometer from its breeding ground in China.
Known as the world’s longest travelling bird, five Amur falcons were fitted with satellite radio transmitters last November 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 after places and rivers in Tamenglong.
As per reports, while Irang and Chiulon, dubbed as Manipur’s Amur ambassadors continued to send their flight route signals, the other three Amur falcons tagged with GPS stopped sending signals.
According to Tamenglong forest division, Chiulon is expected to arrive in Manipur in a day or two after flying about 33,000 km.
Both the birds had crossed Thailand and Laos to reach Myanmar, the report said.
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After the first batch of the migratory birds locally known as ‘Akhuaipuina’ were spotted by locals on October 9, the staff of forest division and locals of Puching village began patrolling the roosting sites.
The team also patrolled along Irang River to welcome and safeguard the arrival of Amur falcons Chiulon and Irang tagged with satellite transmitters.
Each year, this world’s longest travelling birds arrive in the 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 head to their winter breeding grounds in South Africa.
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