IMPHAL, Nov 20: In a remarkable development under Phase 2 of the Manipur Amur Falcon Tracking Project, three satellite-tagged Amur falcons – Apapang (male), Ahu and Alang (females) have successfully crossed Maharashtra and begun their non-stop transoceanic flight across the Arabian Sea toward southern Africa. The birds were tagged and released on November 11 at the Chiuluan roosting site in Tamenglong district by the Tamenglong Forest Division in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
According to officials, all three birds have demonstrated extraordinary endurance, with Apapang flying past Velas in Ratnagiri, while Ahu crossed near Virar and Alang near Malvan. Each falcon is expected to cover over 3,000 km in an uninterrupted 76-hour flight.
By November 18, Apapang had already completed the daunting Arabian Sea crossing and reached Somalia, later advancing toward the Kenya border after travelling an additional 1,000 km over land — marking an astonishing 6,100 km journey in just over six days. Ahu and Alang remain airborne over the Arabian Sea and are expected to reach Somalia shortly.
The Amur falcon, known for one of the longest migration routes among raptors, travels nearly 20,000 km annually between eastern Asia and southern Africa, making a crucial two-month stopover at Nagaland’s Doyang Reservoir to build energy reserves for the open-sea crossing.
