Imphal: A senior Wildlife Institute of India (WII) scientist will tag satellite transmitters on Amur falcons in Tamenglong district of Manipur early next month to study the migratory routes of the raptors.
The long-distance migratory birds belonging to the falcon family, as done in previous years, have landed in large numbers in forest-rich Tamenglong district.
A little smaller than the size of a pigeon, Amur falcon is locally known as ‘Akhuaipuina.’
“Scientist-F of WII Dehradun, Suresh Kumar, along with the transmitters imported from United Kingdom, will arrive in Tamenglong in November first week to carry out the tasks of tagging of the falcons, the district’s Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Kh Hitler Singh said.
Kumar said first they will select a few Amur falcons and assess their health conditions and 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,” he added.
Considering the one-year lifespan of the transmitters, it is possible to study the tagged falcons’ whole migratory cycle during the period.
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 a total distance of 5,700 kms.
On the other hand, 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.
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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 South-Eastern Siberia.
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 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 done in previous years, will observe the Amur Falcon Festival in the first and second week of November.
Last month, district magistrate of Tamenglong L Angshim Dangshawa, taking effective measures to protect the winged guests during their roosting period in the district had banned air guns and asked the people to deposit the weapons to their respective village authority offices.
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 of 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,” they said.
The first-ever survey for population estimation of Amur falcons in Manipur was conducted last year at Tamenglong’s Chiuluan bamboo forest near the banks of Barak river and found around 1,41,274 such birds there.