Ten Amur Falcons captured; three fitted with satellite trackers in Manipur
Imphal: Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, in collaboration with the Manipur Forest Department, on Tuesday captured ten Amur Falcons alive and fitted satellite radio transmitters on three birds at the Chiuluan roosting site in Manipur's Tamenglong district, officials said on Wednesday.
Dr. Suresh Kumar, Scientist at WII, said the satellite transmitters are attached to Amur Falcons to study their long-distance migratory routes, which helps conservation efforts for this globally migrating species.
The data allows researchers to track their journey from Siberia to Southern Africa and back, providing vital information for protecting the falcons and their habitats, especially amid concerns about declining numbers.
The radio transmitters were fitted on three falcons, one male and two females. While the male bird was christened "Apapang," the female birds were named "Ahu" and "Alang."
Each transmitter weighed about 3.5 grams. The tagged birds were later released into the wild in the presence of Chiuluan village volunteers.
Notably, in 2018, two Amur Falcons, Tamenglong, a female bird, and Manipur, a male bird, were fitted with radio transmitters.
The male bird, Manipur, was found hunted and killed days after its release in the Puching area of Tamenglong.
Since then, hunting and killing of Amur Falcons in Tamenglong district have been banned, and the government announced that hunting, killing, or destroying this migratory bird is a punishable offence under Sections 50 and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
In 2019, five Amur Falcons were tagged with radio transmitters: Chiulon (Chiuluan), Puching, Phalong (all named after villages in Tamenglong district), and Irang and Barak (named after rivers).
The Amur Falcons (Falco amurensis), locally known as Akhuaipuina, are pigeon-sized, long-distance migratory raptors of the falcon family.
They travel about 20,000 kilometres annually, moving between the northern and southern hemispheres.