IMPHAL — ‘Chiuluan2,’ one of two
satellite-tagged Amur falcons released in Manipur last November, has arrived in
South Africa after crossing the Kalahari Desert. Wildlife Institute of India
(WII) scientist R. Suresh Kumar, who is monitoring the bird's migration,
confirmed its arrival on January 4.
However, contact has been lost with ‘Gwangram,’the other
tagged falcon, since December 13, 2024.
The Manipur Forest Department, a WII team, and local
residents released the two birds, a male (Chiuluan2) and a female (Gwangram),
on November 8, 2024, from Tamenglong district. The falcons were fitted with
satellite transmitters to study their migratory route and environmental
patterns.
Chiuluan and Guangram are the names of two Amur falcon roosting sites
in Tamenglong.
According to Suresh Kumar, Chiuluan2 arrived in the African
Veldts, approximately 360 km west of Johannesburg. This marks another step in
the ongoing study of Amur falcon migration, which began in Tamenglong in 2018
with the tagging of two birds. Five more were tagged in 2019.
Amur falcons, protected under the Wildlife Protection Act,
breed in southeastern Russia and northeastern China. They migrate annually to
Africa for the winter, covering approximately 20,000 km. Their journey includes
stopovers in India’s northeast and Somalia before returning in April-May via
Afghanistan and East Asia.
Known locally as Akhuaipuina, the falcons arrive in the
northeast, including Nagaland and Manipur, in October and depart in November
after foraging for their long flight.
(HT Photo)