Tagged Amur Falcon Longleng may cross NE
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 05 2019: With cyclone Fani crossing West Bengal and hitting Bangladesh, Amur Falcon 'Longleng' which came after the storm has made its stop at the border between Meghalaya and Bangladesh on its way to her breeding area in northern China.

Female Amur Falcon Longleng was fitted with a satellite radio transmitter to study its migration route in October 2016 at Longleng district in Nagaland, similar to how a male and female of the same species were also fitted with such an equipment last year in Manipur.

The signal of one of the said birds, Tamenglong (female), was lost ever since it flew to Somalia and then South Africa while the other bird, Manipur (Male) was killed by poachers somewhere along the border between Tamenglong and Noney last year in November.

Tagged Amur Falcon Longleng may cross NE

Longleng, a female Amur falcon named after the Nagaland's district was radio-tagged in October 2016, arrived in Somalia on April 17 from her wintering grounds in South Africa and she started her return journey to India on April 29, according to Wildlife Institute of India (WII) scientist R Suresh Kumar.

It may be mentioned that Tamenglong and Longleng had flown across the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian sea one after the other on the way to South Africa.

According to a source from the Wildlife Institute of India, Longleng reached Somalia from South Africa on April 17 .

After staying there for 10 days, the bird left Somalia on April 29 and reached Surat this month after crossing the Arabian sea.

The source continued that Longleng, which weigh around 175 grams, passed Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in its last two trips in the past from South Africa.

However, this time, the bird crossed Surat, Maharasthra, and landed at Rayagada, Odisha on May 2 after crossing the Arabian Sea, the source added.

The bird then waited for cyclone Fani to pass and finally reached the border between Meghalaya and Bangladesh after passing West Bengal.

The bird might head for Nagaland, the source explained, pointing out that the bird changed its usual course and refrained from taking the ocean route due to the cyclone.

On the other hand, Dr Sureshkumar said that Amur Falcons are usually very accurate about their routes and destinations and this might be the first time the bird Longleng reached Meghalaya.

He continued that this year, scientists of WII in collaboration with Manipur Forest Department, satellite will tag three new Amur Falcons.

He also lauded the Nagaland Forest Department, village council, Churches and student bodies for their efforts in conservation of the said species of birds as well as the environment.