Tamenglong’s satellite-tagged visitor arrives for yearly stopover

Our Correspondent

Imphal, Oct. 27 (EMN): A radio-tagged adult male Amur falcon (Falcon amurensis) named Chiulon, which had reached his breeding area in northern China in May this year during her routine annual migration course, finally arrived at its roosting site in Manipur, a Wildlife Institute of India (WII) scientist said.

“Chiulon has arrived at the Puching roost site in Tamenglong district,” said WII scientist Dr. R Suresh Kumar, who is currently monitoring the route of the migratory bird.

Earlier, Chiulon went past Manipur, he added. 

Kumar, along with four other WII scientists, had radio-tagged five Amur falcons, including two males, at Puching village in Manipur on October 31 and November 1 last year with the support of the Manipur Forest Department, Tamenglong district administration, Rainforest Club, Tamenglong, and local residents.

The five pigeon-sized migratory birds were named Chiulon, Puching and Phalong (all names of villages in Manipur’s Tamenglong district) and Irang and Barak (both names of rivers). Chiulon and Irang's transmitters are still active while the others have stopped sending signals.

Kumar, who had tagged more than a dozen Amur falcons in the last five years, also informed that Irang had crossed into Chandel district on October 25 evening.

Both Irang and Chiulon, dubbed as Manipur’s Amur ambassadors by the state’s Forest department, left their breeding ground in China in mid-September for South Africa to spend their winter.

In their journey, these birds arrive in large numbers during October in Nagaland and Manipur besides a few other places in Northeast India.

They leave the region in November after having enough food for their non-stop flight to Africa where they spend their winters.

The radio-tagging of Amur falcons started here in 2018 as part of an initiative to conserve wildlife and also to study the route of these long-distance migratory birds.

Meanwhile, the Forest department officials along with villagers have started patrolling at the roosting site of Amur falcons in the adjoining areas of Puching village and Rangkhong village along Irang River to ensure the safe arrival of Amur falcons.