Kohima: Two of the three satellite tagged Amur falcons, Naga and Pangti, are set to complete their second round of migration.
According to a statement today, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force, Nagaland, M Lokeshwara Rao informed that on November 7, 2013, three Amur Falcon birds were satellite tagged and released.
The birds were named Naga, Wokha and Pangti. While the bird named Wokha remains inactive, Naga has completed its second round of migration, flying a distance of 44,000 km, with Pangti following closely.
The two birds were released on May 7, 2013 from Doyang. They travelled across the Arabian sea, Somalia and reached South Africa.
They flew back from South Africa and reached Mongolia via Doyang, Nagaland in October, 2014 completing one cycle of their migration. In November 2014, the birds started their journey again and are set to complete their second round of migration by coming November.
The progress of the birds is being monitored through their satellite tags, which consist of antennas and solar panels on the back of the birds. The joint scientific mission to satellite tag Amur Falcons from Nagaland was taken up in 2013 by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun at Convention on Migratory Species Office, United Nations Environment Programme, Environment Agency Abu Dhabi and the Nagaland Forest Department.
The migration of the Amur Falcon starts from Mongolia to South Africa and back home. The falcon breeds in Northern China and South eastern Siberia and spends all summer there. It undertakes a migration journey from this region all the way to Southern Africa where they spend the winter and then undertake the journey back home.
The Amur Falcon has one of the of longest migration routes (22,000 km) of all birds, from eastern Asia all the way to South Africa. The migration route of the falcons was a mystery till recently, with the satellite tracking of the birds. Their route is also interesting as migrating overseas is unusual for raptors.
The falcons visit Nagaland from October to November every year, before taking their giant leap across the Indian Ocean. The raptor spends its day in search of food and settles on the trees for roosting during the night. (UNI)
