Guwahati: An Amur Falcon named ‘Chiuluan2’ has successfully migrated to South Africa, covering a vast distance of over 20,000 km.
The bird, which was satellite-tagged in Manipur’s Tamenglong district, reached its destination on Saturday after crossing the Kalahari Desert.
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Scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), ‘Chiuluan2’ said that the falcon earlier made a stopover in Somalia after flying non-stop over the Arabian Sea for five days and 17 hours.
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The bird’s final destination in South Africa is located approximately 360 km west of Johannesburg, in a region known as the African Veldt.
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‘Chiuluan2’ is one of two Amur Falcons that were released with satellite transmitters in November last year.
Unfortunately, the other bird, ‘Gwangram’, has stopped transmitting signals since December 13. The radio-tagging program aims to study the migratory routes of Amur Falcons and environmental patterns in the region.
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Amur Falcons, which breed in southeast Russia and northeast China, are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act.
They undertake an annual journey of over 20,000 km, passing through Afghanistan, East Asia, and northeast India before reaching their wintering grounds in Africa.
The birds arrive in northeast India, including Nagaland and Manipur, in October and depart in November after feeding and replenishing their energy reserves.