Radio-Tagged Amur Falcon ‘Chiuluan 2’ Reaches Western Odisha After 3,800 km Nonstop Flight Over Arabian Sea |
Bhubaneswar: A radio-tagged male Amur Falcon, named ‘Chiuluan 2′, has been tracked reaching western Odisha on 30 April last’ after a brief overnight stop in Chhattisgarh. The falcon, tagged in Manipur’s Tamenglong district in November 2024 as part of a satellite-tracking project by the Wildlife Institute of India, is providing scientists with valuable insights into the remarkable migratory journeys of these birds.
Amur Falcons (Falco amurensis) are known for undertaking one of the longest migratory journeys among all bird species, travelling up to 22,000 km annually between their breeding grounds in East Asia and wintering sites in southern Africa. Chiuluan 2 spent approximately 114 days in southern Africa and began its northward migration from Botswana on April 8, 2025.
Remarkably, the bird covered an uninterrupted distance of about 3,800 km over the Arabian Sea, completing this leg of the journey in just 93 hours (around four days). It first touched down in Gujarat before navigating toward the northeastern region of India. The most recent GPS signal, recorded at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, confirmed its location in western Odisha, according to Dr. Suresh Kumar, senior scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India. He also confirmed the falcon had halted overnight in Chhattisgarh before continuing its journey.
The falcon had earlier made its first major stopover in Somalia, reaching there from India in five days and 17 hours of continuous flight shortly after its release in November. The data collected through this tracking initiative will help researchers understand migratory patterns, stopover ecology, and the challenges faced by these long-distance flyers.
The Amur Falcon tagging project also plays a vital role in community-driven conservation in northeast India, especially in the Tamenglong district, which has emerged as a safe corridor for these birds in recent years due to grassroots protection efforts.
