Amur falcons to be tagged with satellite transmitters during Manipur halt to study migratory routes

A senior Wildlife Institute of India (WII) scientist would tag Amur falcons in Manipur’s Tamenglong district with satellite transmitters early next month to analyse the migratory routes of the raptors, forest officials said. 

These majestic birds (Falco Amurensis), known as ‘Akhuaipuina’ (or ‘Kahuaipuina’) in Manipur and ‘Molulem’ in neighbouring Nagaland, embark on an incredible long-distance journey, travelling up to 22,000 km in a single year, all the way from eastern Asia to South Africa, and back during early autumn.

The long-distance migratory birds, a little smaller than the size of a pigeon, belonging to the falcon family, as in previous years, have now landed in large numbers in the forest-rich Tamenglong district.

In a bid to protect and provide support to the migratory birds, Manipur’s Noney and Tamenglong district authorities imposed a total ban on hunting, catching, killing, and selling of the seasonal winged guests by anyone in the district and nearby surrounding areas.

Both districts share borders with Assam and Nagaland, which also serves as a crucial brief stopover for these birds before their subsequent journey.

"Dehradun-based WII scientist, Dr Suresh Kumar, along with the transmitters imported from the United Kingdom, would arrive in Tamenglong in the first week of November to carry out the tasks of tagging the falcons," Tamenglong’s Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Kh Hitler Singh said.

He said that first the scientist would select a few Amur falcons and assess their health conditions, adding that "he would then pick two of the healthiest birds to tag with the transmitters".

"The flight patterns and migratory routes of the tagged falcons could be examined shortly after they are released," said that forest official.

Considering the one-year lifespan of the transmitters, it is possible to study the tagged falcons’ whole migratory cycle during the period, Singh added.

A female falcon, which was tagged with a transmitter in Tamenglong in 2018, had landed in Somalia after flying continuously for five days and eight hours and covering 5,700 km.

Meanwhile, diverse measures to protect the falcons have also been taken up by the district authorities and animal lovers’ groups of the Zeliangrong-Naga-dominated district.

Amur falcons usually arrive in Manipur, mostly in Tamenglong about 145 km from Imphal, and parts of Nagaland during the first and second week of October from their breeding grounds in northern China and southeastern Siberia, said wildlife experts.

After roosting for a little more than a month, they leave the state and fly towards the southern and eastern parts of Africa and again roost there a short time before flying towards their breeding grounds.

To spread awareness among the people to protect the migratory birds, the Forest Department, supported by local clubs and animal lovers’ groups, as in previous years, will observe the "Amur Falcon Festival" in the first and second week of November, Hitler Singh said.

Animal lovers in Tamenglong said the stepped-up awareness and protection efforts for Amur falcons taken up by the forest officials and NGOs have significantly reduced the trend of hunting the falcons.

"With love, we have warmly welcomed Amur falcons in our district. We have seen many of them flying freely in the skies in some parts of the district headquarters," one animal-lover added.

The first-ever survey for population estimation of Amur falcons in the state was conducted last year at Tamenglong’s Chiuluan bamboo forest near the banks of the Barak river and 1,41,274 such birds were found there.

In Nagaland, a forest official in Kohima said that the state also serves as a crucial stopover for these birds -- which at times number up to 100,000 -- for rest and refuelling for a duration of three to four weeks during winter.

"The migratory birds’ presence in huge numbers holds immense ecological importance, as they naturally regulate pest populations and participate in vital pollination activities," the official said, adding that the dedicated efforts of all concerned have significantly contributed to providing a secure passage to these avian species over the years.

The Amur falcon has been granted legal protection under the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.

The Nagaland official said that hunting these birds or possessing their meat is a serious criminal offence, punishable by imprisonment for up to three years under the provisions of the Act. Nagas and other tribals, known for their love for meat, had for decades considered these birds as ‘god-sent’ when they had first arrived in 2012. Thousands of birds were caught and consumed every year before 2012, but massive efforts involving villagers to protect the migratory birds in Nagaland have resulted in near-zero casualties since 2013.

The conservation of Amur falcons and other migratory birds helped promote tourism in Nagaland as hundreds of tourists assembled along the lakes and water bodies in Wokha and adjoining districts adjacent to Assam.