Amur Falcons arrive in Tamenglong, scientists to tag the birds for study

Every year, during the winter season, Tamenglong welcomes thousands of migratory bird – the Amur Falcon, along the banks of the Barak river. These birds stay in Manipur and some parts of Nagaland for over a month, till the end of November before flying back to Africa in a non-stop flight covering over 20,000 km.

Last year, the reports of killing Amur falcon by people to eat had evoked sharp reaction from concerned citizens. The District Admission has issued a complete ban on hunting and killing of the said bird species and the Forest Department had worked tirelessly to spread awareness on the bird. The Amur falcon festival was also started in 2015 to spread awareness about the importance of wildlife conservation.

Last year, scientists satellite tagged two Amur Falcons, named Tamenglong and Manipur, to study their migratory route and other details. However, Manipur was killed by hunters shortly afterwards while signal from Tamenglong was lost after the bird reached Zambia.

In a bid to complete the study this year, the Forest Department, in collaboration with Wildlife Institute of India, is planning to tag five Amur Falcons.

Via: The Sangai Express