29-05-2025
Satellite-tagged Amur falcon named after Manipur village arrives in Russia
One of the two satellite-tagged Amur falcons (Falco amurensis), Chiuluan2, named after a village in Manipur's Tamenglong district, has arrived in Amur in Russia, covering approximately 6,000 km in 20 days from the northeastern state on its return migration with brief stopovers in between. This is the first time any satellite-tagged Amur falcon from Nagaland or Manipur has arrived in Amur, a region where they belong.
Wildlife Institute of India (WII) scientist R Suresh Kumar said Chiuluan2 flew further north and crossed into Russia. He has been monitoring the bird's migratory route and return migration. Other Amur falcons satellite-tagged in Nagaland or Manipur are mostly in northern China.
On November 8, the Manipur forest department and residents released Amur falcons, Chiuluan2 and Gwangram, after they were fitted with satellite transmitters as part of efforts to popularise the conservation efforts and study the migratory routes.
Chiuluan2 is a male falcon, while Gwangram is a female named after are roosting villages of the Amur falcons in Tamenglong. Gwangram's transmitter stopped working on February 1 when the falcon was in Kenya, said a scientist who has radio-tagged over 10 Amur falcons.
An Amur falcon was radio-tagged first in November 2018 in Tamenglong. In 2019, Tamenglong and Manipur were among the five birds radio-tagged to raise awareness about conservation.
Amur falcons are the world's longest-traveling birds protected under the Wildlife Protection Act. They breed in southeast Russia and northeast China during the summer and migrate to their wintering grounds in Africa. Their yearly journey covers about 20,000 km via Afghanistan and East Asia. They stop in northeast India and Somalia.
The pigeon-sized raptors, locally known as Akhuaipuina, arrive in the northeast in October. They leave in November after feeding enough to sustain their non-stop flight to Africa, where they spend their winters.
