Tagged Amur Falcons' flight
Source: The Sangai Express / Press Trust of India

Guwahati, November 17 2015: Migratory Amur Falcons' incredible journey from Nagaland to South Africa to Mongolia and back to Nagaland has been recorded by scientists with the help of satellite tagging, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said today.

"Three Amur Falcon tagged in 2013 covered the distance of 6000 km from Nagaland to Mongolia in five days 10 hours to return last year," Javadekar told reporters here.

"Carrying a five gramme solar powered geo tag, the birds reached South Africa from Nagaland in a continuous flying mode," the Minister said.

It is being planned to do the same thing again and tag more of the migratory birds at three or four roosting sites in Pangti and other villages of Nagaland, he said.

Stating the flocking of the small raptor of the Falcon family has crossed one million mark this time, he said next year four to five birds were planned to be tagged.

Javadekar said, "The birds will be named as per the villages as Amur Falcon conservation is a people's movement involving locals, NGOs, church and the forest department.

People who used to kill these birds are now committed to its conservation" .

The Government also wanted to develop Doyang lake as an eco-tourism hub, he said.

Millions of Amur Falcons from Mongolia, Northern China and Southeastern Siberia flock to Doyang to roost every year from October before their journey to South Africa to spend their winter there.

A section of the people of Nagaland used to hunt the birds for their meat.

Conservation of Amur falcons started in 2013 and since then forest guards and volunteers have been keeping strict vigil in and around the roosting site.

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