Imphal: In a bid to study the migratory routes of the raptors, a senior Wildlife Institute of India (WII) scientist will tag satellite transmitters on Amur falcons in Manipur’s Tamenglong district early next month.
Amur falcons, small migratory birds of the falcon family, have arrived in large numbers in Tamenglong district, as they do every year.”
Amur falcons, locally known as ‘Akhuaipuina”or ‘Kahoipuina’, land in Manipur as part of its annual routine migration. These birds are crucial to the local ecosystem. They are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and included under Schedule IV.
The district’s Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Kh Hitler Singh, said that Dr Suresh Kumar, a scientist from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Dehradun, would arrive in Tamenglong in the first week of November.
He added that Dr Kumar would use the transmitters imported from the United Kingdom to tag the falcons.
Dr Suresh said that first they will select a few Amur falcons and assess their health conditions, adding “We will 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”, added the senior scientist.
As the transmitters have a lifespan of one year, Dr Suresh stated that they could monitor the complete migratory cycle of the tagged falcons.
A female falcon, which was tagged with transmitter in Tamenglong in 2018, had landed in Somalia after flying continuously for five days and eight hours, and covering 5,700 kms.
According to experts, 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 Siberi.
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.
Hitler Singh said that to foster environmental consciousness and protect migratory birds, the forest department, in conjunction with local clubs and animal lovers’ groups, will conduct the annual ‘Amur Falcon Festival’ in early November.
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Last month, district magistrate (Tamenglong) L Angshim Dangshawa, taking effective measures to protect the winged guests during their roosting period in the district, banned air guns and asked the people to deposit the weapons at their respective village authorities’ offices.
