Maulik Pathak | TNN | Updated: May 9, 2020, 10:34 IST
AHMEDABAD: After flying over African lions while crossing Africa, Amur falcons have started arriving in the land of Asiatic lions.
Gujarat it seems has emerged as a gateway for these long-distance migratory birds. This is evident from the findings of Wildlife Institute of India which has been studying the pathways of satellite-tagged Amur falcons from Nagaland and Manipur. So far it has radio-tagged about 15 Amur falcons to study migration pathways and environmental patterns.
Amur falcons are known to have among the longest migration routes, covering 22,000km.
Having flown 3,200km non-stop over the Arabian Sea, ‘Irang’, a sub-adult Amur falcon, entered Gujarat to the south of Porbandar in the Gir forest region at 1am on May 3.
The development comes ahead of World Migratory Birds Day on May 9, which is to be marked across the world with the theme “Birds Connect Our World”. The United Nations-led campaign aims to raise awareness of migratory birds and the importance of international cooperation to conserve them.
The Amur falcon is a small raptor of the falcon family that breeds in Siberia and Northern China and migrates to southern Africa in the winter. They visit India on their return leg.
The migration happens in very large numbers and the sheer size of the flock makes it a sight to behold.
Nagaland, where the birds were once hunted in large numbers, is today, thanks to conservation efforts by the local and forest department, known as the falcon capital of the world with about a million birds dotting the skies every year. Besides Nagaland, the birds are spotted in large numbers in Manipur and Assam as well.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/gujarat-emerging-as-gateway-for-amur-falcons-wii/articleshow/75636701.cms
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