Amur falcons, satellite-tagged in Manipur, return from Africa

• Two of the three Amur falcons, which were satellite-tagged in Manipur’s Tamenglong district in November 2025, are returning to their breeding grounds in the Far East through India, after migrating to the warmer southern Africa region during the winter.

• Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said during their journey from Africa’s Somalia to northeast India, they undertake a non-stop flight of nearly 6,000 km in six days.

• A tagged young female Amur falcon named ‘Alang’ is currently headed for India's west coast and is crossing the Arabian Sea, having started from Somalia on May 15.

• With funding from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the satellite tracking project has been a successful community-led conservation effort in India.

• Alongside, interesting insights on this incredible small raptor, a long distance trans-hemispheric migrant has been generated, guiding management and conservation efforts.

• The project has helped provide insights into Amur falcons, which will enable their management and conservation.

Some facts on Amur falcon:

• Amur falcon (Falco amurensis) is a long distance, trans-equatorial migrant.

• Amur falcons weigh just 150 grams.

• It has one of the longest and most arduous migration routes of any bird, travelling up to 22,000 km in a year, from eastern Asia all the way to Southern Africa and back. 

• Annually, in early autumn, these migrant falcons leave their Asian breeding range and travel to parts of northeast India and Bangladesh that act as staging areas for the overland flights across India.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)