Amur falcons Apapang and Alang return to Manipur after 23 countries

Two satellite-tagged Amur falcons, Apapang and Alang, have returned to Manipur after a journey through 23 countries, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Friday, October 23.

In a post on X, Yadav said the birds arrived in Manipur on Thursday, 11 days after setting off from their breeding grounds in north-eastern China.

A year of tracking

Scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) tagged the falcons in Manipur in November 2025. Their return completes nearly a year of tracking and a full round trip across Africa and Asia. Yadav called them "truly global citizens".

Stopover in Tamenglong

The falcons are expected to spend two to three weeks at selected sites in the hills of Tamenglong district, where, the minister said, local people wait for their return every year and protect them.

There, the birds feed on termites emerging around their roosting sites to build up the fat reserves they need for the next leg.

The next leg

From Manipur, the falcons will make a nonstop flight of about 6,000 km to Somalia over roughly six days, including a 3,000-km crossing of the Arabian Sea, according to Yadav.

Why Amur falcons matter to the North East

Amur falcons are small raptors that breed in eastern Asia and spend the northern winter in southern Africa. Every autumn, large numbers pass through the North East on the way, roosting in the hills of Manipur and Nagaland.

The satellite tags fitted by WII scientists let researchers follow each bird's route, timing and stopovers across continents, data that is otherwise very hard to gather for small migratory raptors.

Community protection

Communities in the region's stopover areas have played a central role in protecting the birds during their visit. The minister's message pointed to Tamenglong's residents, who now look forward to the falcons' arrival each year.

What to watch

The falcons' onward movement will be tracked through their satellite tags in the coming weeks as they leave Tamenglong for the Arabian Sea crossing.