Amur Falcons’ Epic 6,000 km Flight: How WII Tracked Their Journey Across Continents

Every autumn, the skies over Northeast India witness a natural marvel—tens of thousands of Amur falcons lifting off for one of the longest nonstop migratory flights known in the bird world. These tiny raptors, weighing around 150 grams, travel 5,000 to 6,000 kilometers in less than a week, crossing the vast Arabian Sea en route to Africa.

In November 2025, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) closely followed three such birds—Apapang, Alang, and Ahu—as they journeyed from Tamenglong, Manipur, to their wintering grounds in Africa, providing real-time updates on their awe-inspiring odyssey.

Tracking the Trio: Apapang, Alang, and Ahu

On November 11, scientists from WII equipped three Amur falcons with lightweight transmitters, each weighing around 3.5–4 grams—well under the safe limit of 3% of the bird’s body weight. These tagged birds, named Apapang (male), Alang (young female), and Ahu (adult female), took flight the very next day.

Their journeys were nothing short of spectacular,

• Apapang covered 6,100 km in six days and eight hours, gliding across central India and the Arabian Sea to reach Tanzania.
• Alang traveled 5,600 km in six days and 14 hours, arriving in Kenya.
• Ahu, taking a slightly different path through Bangladesh and the Arabian Sea, flew 5,100 km in five days before halting in Somalia.

Updates posted by Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary of Environment, Climate Change & Forests, Tamil Nadu, tracked their progress, offering a window into their post-migration behavior, such as rebuilding fat reserves in Africa after their long haul.

From Crisis to Conservation: The Project’s Origins

The tracking initiative arose from an urgent conservation need. In 2012, Pangti village in Nagaland became infamous for the mass hunting of Amur falcons, sparking national and international concern. As India is a signatory to the Convention on Migratory Species, authorities were compelled to act.

By 2013, a coordinated effort involving the WII, state forest departments, and local communities launched a long-term tracking project. The goals were multifaceted: understand migration routes, identify critical stopovers, mitigate hunting threats, and raise awareness across local populations.

Why Northeast India is Key to Their Survival

Amur falcons don’t just pass through Northeast India—they rely on it. Before their transoceanic flight, the falcons spend 2–3 weeks in districts like Dimahasao, fattening up on a protein-rich diet of termites. This phenomenon, called hyperphagia, enables them to build the energy reserves necessary to survive days without food or water.

A scientific paper co-authored by Dr. Suresh Kumar from WII confirmed that termite emergence in autumn perfectly aligns with the birds’ arrival, making the region an essential pre-migration fueling ground.

The Role of Local Communities in Conservation

Perhaps the most transformative element of this project has been community involvement. Villagers began naming tagged falcons after their own villages—an emotional investment that fostered pride and protection.

In Nagaland, this shift led to the creation of community-managed conservation reserves and significantly reduced hunting. By 2016, India further reinforced its commitment by signing the Raptors MoU under the global Convention on Migratory Species.

Today, this once-crisis-driven initiative has evolved into Asia’s leading bird-tracking and conservation model, expanding its reach with improved transmitter technology and near-real-time monitoring.

Key Takeaways

• Amur falcons migrate 5,000–6,000 km nonstop from India to Africa.
• WII has been tracking these birds since 2013 using lightweight transmitters.
• The conservation movement began after mass hunting in Nagaland in 2012.
• Birds fatten up on termites in Northeast India, especially in places like Dimahasao.
• Community involvement transformed former hunting zones into protected areas.
• India is a signatory to the Convention on Migratory Species and the Raptors MoU (2016).