5,400 km in five days! Amur Falcon stuns scientists, enthusiasts with its non-stop migratory journey

Apapanag, an adult male, Alang, a young female and Ahu, an adult female, were three three birds that were tracked.

Wildlife scientists tagged three Amur falcons before the birds took off from Manipur on November 11 to embark on a 5,400 kilometer-long migratory journey to Somalia.

Apapanag, an adult male, Alang, a young female and Ahu, an adult female, were the three birds that were tracked.

These tiny raptors take fly into the forests of Manipur and Nagaland from their breeding grounds in eastern Asia. After a brief stop in the northeastern parts of India, they set off to Africa.

The adult male has completed its journey in just over five days, covering about 1,000 km per day in its marathon flight. The journey covered a flight over central India and then a more challenging leg over the Arabian Sea.

IAS Supriya Sahu, the additional chief secretary of Tamil Nadu's Environment Climate Change & Forests department, provided regular updates on social media and announced the feat, adding that Apapang has made this oceanic trip multiple times before this recent one.

"Apapang has now done nearly 5,400 km, and it has taken him 5 days and 15 hours," Sahu wrote in her post.

It was Sahu herself who announced on November 14 that the tagged birds were on their journey to reach Somalia.

On November 11, the three birds were tagged as a part of the Manipur Amur Falcon Tracking Project (Phase 2) led by the Wildlife Institue of India.

Apapang, wearing the orange track on the satellite map, had surprised trackers with his flight skills despite weighing barely 150 grams. The journey has made it one of the fastest migratory raptors in the world.

The bird took flight right after being tagged and covered 3,000 km non-stop across central India in just 76 hours before flying over the Arabian Sea to reach Somalia without a break.

The flight of the three birds, that started their migration from the forests of Manipur to the eastern parts of Africa, was monitored by scientists to study the extreme migratory challenges.

Amur falcons were once endangered due to incessant hunting in Nagaland. However, the avian species are now given safe haven and protection by those residing in villages. The villagers now see the migration season as a symbol of pride and coexistence.