Amur falcon Tracking Project

Why in News?

Two out of three Amur Falcons Apapang & Alang were tagged with satellite on them in Manipur on November 2025.

• Current status - They are making their Comeback (spring migration) from their wintering grounds in Southern Africa back to breeding ground in East Asia.  

About Satellite Tracking Project

• Collaboration – With Wildlife Institute of India & Manipur State forest Department.
• Funded – By Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.
• Significance - Considered as highly successful community-led conservation effort in Northeast India.
• Tracking data - will give deep insights into migratory pathways, timing differences between genders (males generally return to breeding grounds earlier than females), and wind-pattern dependencies, guiding international raptor management.

About Amur Falcon

• Is a Long distance Trans – hemispheric migratory bird which undergoes one of the longest migratory routes among all Raptor.
• Achievement – These birds undertook an extraordinary non – stop flight of 6000 km in just 6 days, during their spring migration from Africa (Somalia) to North east India.
• It took around 3 days of nonstop flight to cross over the Arabian Sea, aided by favorable tailwinds.
• Breeding locations - Northern China (Amur River region) & Far – East Russia.

Stopover site

• Northeast India – Tamenglong in Manipur & Pangti in Nagaland. Here they feed on Termites to build fat reserves.
• Non- Breeding Wintering Grounds – Eastern & Southern Africa like Somalia, South Africa & neighboring regions.

For Reference: The Hindu | IAS Parliament