Two tagged Amur falcons, world’s longest travelling bird, return to Manipur after flying 29,000 km for over a year

• Last year, Manipur’s forest department fitted satellite radio transmitters in five migratory birds to study the route and flight patterns of these migratory birds.
  
• While two of the five birds continued to send their flight signals, three of them reportedly died.
  
• Irang returned to Tamenglong district in Manipur after flying over 29,000 kilometres for more than a year. While Chiulon travelled about 33,000 kms.
  

Manipur’s precious visitors are back. Two satellite radio-tagged Amur falcons, named Irang and Chiulon, have returned to Manipur after completing its migratory route. Irang flew over 29,000 km while Chiulon travelled about 33,000 km for over a year.


Amur falcon is a small migratory raptor, famous for making the longest voyage from its breeding grounds in Russia and China to spend the winter in South Africa. Amur falcons are the world’s longest migratory birds who can travel over 22,000 kilometers without taking many breaks in between. Often, Amur falcons make a stop in eastern India.


Last year, Manipur’s forest department fitted satellite radio transmitters in five migratory birds — Chiulon, Punching, Phalong, Irang, and Barak — to study the route and flight patterns of these migratory birds. While two of these five birds continued to send their flight signals, three of them reportedly died.

“The people of Manipur, particularly in Tamenglong district where the 2 Amurs were tagged in Nov 2019, had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the tagged Amurs and this has now come true,” said the Ministry.

Protecting the migratory Amur Falcons

Each year, Amur Falcons arrive in Manipur and parts of Nagaland from China and Russia before they migrate to South Africa — going on a voyage of 20,000 km.

However, until a few years ago, around 100,000 birds were hunted in Nagaland’s Wokha district every day. The mass hunting of the bird prompted the government to take urgent action. The state government banned the hunting and killing of these birds and warned that they would freeze developmental funds of villages if found guilty. As of today, the hunting has stopped.

Manipur’s forest department and locals of Puching village are now patrolling the roosting sites to welcome the birds.

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