Need for further research and monitoring of Amur Falcon in Tamenglong District

Kh Hitler Singh *

67th Wildlife Week is celebrated across the State of Manipur as being celebrated in the other parts of India from 2nd October to 8th October, 2022 to inculcate love and compassion of Wildlife and furtherance of protection and conservation of Wildlife to the general public.

Participating the spirit of celebration of Wildlife Week for securing the safety of the wild animals and their habitat, we would like to update the information and finding of research and monitoring of Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis) with satellite transmitter tagging and also the conservation measure taken up in the Tamenglong district since 2015 with the full cooperation & support of general public, Village authorities, Rainforest Club, District Administration, District Police etc.

The first ever Amur falcon dance festival was held in 2015 at Tamenglong HQ. It was becoming an Annual Festival of Tamenglong District every year except for 2020 as we could not hold the Festival because of COVID-19 pandemic. It was 6th Edition of Amur falcon festival in 2021, which was attended by then Hon’ble Forest Minister Shri Awangbow Newmai as chief guest.

Amur falcon (Binomial name: Falco amurensis) locally known as Akhoipuina in Rongmei dialect and Khunu Kharang Khongangbi in Manipuri language is migratory raptor bird. The approximate size is of common pigeon.

The body length is about 26 cm to 30 cm with wing span of about 63 cm to 71 cm. The weight ranges from 97 gm to 170 gm in male bird and from 111 gm to 195 gm in female bird. The diets include Termites, Locusts, Ants, Beetles, Mice, etc. The male is blackish grey in color and female bird is brighter in color both having under wing whitish in color. The female is larger in size than the male.

The life span of free range Amur falcon is not yet ascertained but its sister species Red footed falcons has the life span of 13.5 years in the wild and up to 18 (eighteen) years in captivity. Thus Amur falcon life span shall be around 10 (ten) to 13 (thirteen) years in the wild.

The two river system; Barak and Irang are important for the migratory Amur Falcon. They usually roost in the Moubi Bamboo (Melocanna baccifera) forest of the two rivers. The important villages for roosting of Amur Falcons are Chiuluan, Khangchiuluan, Puching (Khebuching), Phalong, Guangram, Toubam, Vanchengphai, Sonpram, Lenglong, Bamgaijang, Old Tamenglong etc.

The roosting of Amur Falcons are subject to the security to the birds. They may prefer some villages in one year and may change in the next year. This happened to Bhalok (Phalong) village. The village had Amur Falcon roosting up to 2017, but Amur Falcon didn’t roost for the last four years.

It is one of the longest distance migratory birds covering a distance of about 30,000 km in a single season migration. The birds being warm blooded could not withstand the severe winter cold climate in its breeding ground in North China and Siberia. As the area is covered by snow the availabilities of food for the birds also decreases.

The migration started during October from its breeding ground towards the Southern latitude. They stop at Myanmar and come to North East India, Central India, and Western India and further migrate to the South African countries with nonstop flying over the Arabian Sea. The migration route and other detailed was clearer with the recent satellite tracking of Amur Falcon birds by WII, Dehradun and Forest Department Manipur.

The satellite tagged Amur Falcons migrate from their breeding ground from October first week towards North East India. They come through China, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar. They stay from second week to last Week of November in North East India in the State of Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya etc. They spend the winter cold season in the warm area of South Africa and stay there up-to March, April. From May onward they return to their breeding site in Mongolia, East China, Eastern Russia.

Forest Department Manipur in collaboration with Wildlife Institute of India had undertaken a research project of satellite transmitter tagging to few Amur birds since 2018. In 2018 two Amur christened as Manipur and Tamenglong were released after tagging with satellite transmitters in Chiulon village on 4th November 2018.

The research & monitoring was undertaken by a team headed by Dr Suresh Kumar Scientist E of WII, Dehradun. In 2019, five birds were captured and tagged & released with the satellite transmitters in Puching Village of Tamenglong District. On 31st October 2019, we tagged & released Puching and Irang and on next Day i.e. 1st November 2019, we tagged & released Barak, Phalong and Chiulon.

Only two Amur falcons namely Irang and Chiulon were active for more than two years. Irang gave satellite data for two yearsone and half months (from 31/10/2019 to 18/12/2021) and Chiulon gave data for two years and three months (from 1/11/2019 to 04/02/2022). As both of them were inactive we could not provide the exact location of Amur Falcons now. By their pattern of migration they are arriving in Tamenglong within few days.

Thus there is urgent need for continuation of further research and monitoring with Phase II satellite transmitter tagging. As there is time constraint we may not be able to tag few Amur Falcons with satellite transmitters this year. But next year under the aegis of Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India we may be able to tag three or four Amur Falcons with satellite transmitters.

One good news for Wildlife Conservation and safe roosting site for Amur Falcon, Chiuluan village has one Community Reserve over an area of 888 Ha vide Government of Manipur Order No 25/9/2020 (WL)/For Dated23rd June, 2022. This is the second Community Reserve after Azuram Community Reserve over 585 Ha in Tamenglong District.

As migratory season is fast approaching, it is earnestly requested the general public to kindly help in providing a safe passage to our friends Amur Falcons and let there be zero mortality in our State Manipur.


(This article is intended for creating awareness and in academic interest; the ideas and views expressed are writer’s own and not necessarily that of the Forest Department, Govern- ment of Manipur. The writer would like to thank Shri A. K. Joshi PCCF & HoFF cum Chief Wildlife Warden, Dr. R. Suresh Kumar Scientist E, WII, Dehradun, Senior Officers of Forest Department for kind encouragement & guidance)