‘Longleng’ becomes longest-tracked falcon, says scientist

Our Correspondent

Imphal, April 9 (EMN): Amid the Covid-19 pandemic across the globe, a radio-tagged female Amur falcon named ‘Longleng’ has become the longest-tracked falcon, according to a scientist who studies the migratory routes of the Amur falcon.

“Longleng, named after a district in Nagaland, was radio-tagged in November 2016 and has so far provided 9623 locations,” informed scientist Dr. Suresh Kumar of Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun.

“We hope that Longleng will cross the ten thousand-mark this time,” he said. “This time, ‘Longleng’ spent her non-breeding period at the same roost site in South Africa, her home in the Southern hemisphere.”

“Following the flight route of a male radio-tagged falcon from Manipur named ‘Chiulon,’ ‘Longleng’ started her return journey from a small town 100km south-east of Johannesburg on the last week of March. Now both of them have arrived in the Kenya-Somalia border. Otherwise, ‘Chiulon’, named after a village in Manipur’s Tamenglong district, was currently in the lead. So let us wait and watch who makes the crossing (Arabian Sea) first,” the scientist said.

It may be recalled that five Amur falcons were radio-tagged in Manipur in November last year by the Manipur Forest department in collaboration with the WII, Dehradun, to study the migration route of these long-distance migratory birds and to create more awareness among the local population.

Of the five, two adult female falcons ‘Irang’ and ‘Barak’, named after two rivers, also in Tamenglong district, continue to be active and presently trailing behind ‘Chiulon’ and ‘Longleng’.

In mid-April, scientists are expecting these radio-tagged Amur falcons to fly past Manipur.