📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Sumeet Moghe
Science
Satellite‑tagged Amur falcons finish 23‑country round‑trip, back in Manipur
✍️ Hindustan Times
🗓 24 Oct 2026, 04:33 AM
👁 15
Researchers confirmed that satellite‑tagged Amur falcons have completed a full migration circuit covering 23 nations and have returned to their breeding grounds in Manipur.
A team of ornithologists from the Wildlife Institute of India, in collaboration with international partners, fitted a small satellite transmitter on a group of Amur falcons that breed in the highlands of Manipur. The devices recorded the birds' movements as they embarked on their annual migration.
The tracking data show that the falcons traversed a complex route spanning 23 countries across Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa before turning northward for the return leg. The round‑trip covered thousands of kilometres and lasted several months, confirming the species' long‑distance navigation abilities.
The birds arrived back in Manipur in early October, landing in the same cliff‑side nesting sites where they were tagged. Scientists say the successful return provides valuable baseline information for conserving this migratory raptor, which faces threats from habitat loss and hunting along its flyway.
The study underscores the importance of cross‑border cooperation in wildlife monitoring and highlights how satellite telemetry can fill critical knowledge gaps about migratory patterns.
Further analysis will focus on how climate variability and land‑use changes may affect future migrations, guiding policy interventions in the participating nations.
The tracking data show that the falcons traversed a complex route spanning 23 countries across Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa before turning northward for the return leg. The round‑trip covered thousands of kilometres and lasted several months, confirming the species' long‑distance navigation abilities.
The birds arrived back in Manipur in early October, landing in the same cliff‑side nesting sites where they were tagged. Scientists say the successful return provides valuable baseline information for conserving this migratory raptor, which faces threats from habitat loss and hunting along its flyway.
The study underscores the importance of cross‑border cooperation in wildlife monitoring and highlights how satellite telemetry can fill critical knowledge gaps about migratory patterns.
Further analysis will focus on how climate variability and land‑use changes may affect future migrations, guiding policy interventions in the participating nations.