Chiulon and Irang, two Amur Falcons radio-tagged in Manipur, have been found to have flown more than 5,000 km at a stretch to reach the deserts of Somalia from the rainforests of the north-eastern state.
The birds had returned to Manipur last month after covering over 29,000 km which formed their annual migratory circuit.
On October 31 and November 1, 2019, five Amur falcons — three named after Manipur villages (Puching, Chiulon and Phalong) and two after Manipur rivers (Irang and Barak) — were radio-tagged at Tamenlong in Manipur as part of a joint endeavour between Manipur Forest Department and Wildlife In, Dehradun.
After spending close to 20 days in Manipur and adjoining areas the two satellite-tagged Amur Falcons: Chiulon and Irang set out on their second-year migration on 11 and 12 Nov. They have now arrived in Somalia covering 5700 km and 5400 km in five and half days nonstop flight. pic.twitter.com/HxMy6JqnNz
— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) November 18, 2020
Irang reached Chandel, about 200km from Tamenglong, on October 25, 2020. Chiulon reached Tamenglong three days later. An elated Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) announced the arrival of the birds in a tweet.
“A milestone has been achieved in the conservation efforts of birds, as an Amur named Irang, tagged in Manipur has returned to the state after completing its migratory route full circle & covering 29,000km. Another Amur named Chiulon also arrived in the state yesterday,” stated the MoEF&CC tweet.