Amur Falcons: A Complete Overview

Amur Falcons

#GS-03 Biodiversity

Scientific Name: Falco amurensis.
IUCN Status: Least Concern.
CITES: Schedule II.
The species is protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the Convention on Migratory Species.
Amur falcons are the world’s longest travelling raptors and they start travelling at the onset of winters.
The raptors breed in south-eastern Siberia and northern China, and migrate in millions over India and then over the Indian Ocean to southern Africa before returning to Mongolia and Siberia.
Their 22,000-kilometre migratory route is one of the longest amongst all avian species.
They get their name from the Amur River that forms the border between Russia and China.
Doyang Lake in Nagaland is better known as a stopover for the Amur falcons during their annual migration from their breeding grounds to warmer South Africa.
Nagaland is also known as the “Falcon Capital of the World,”.
Apart from Nagaland, Amur Falcons roosts in parts of Manipur, Meghalaya and Assam too.
BirdLife international had set up an emergency fund to help Bombay natural history society coordinate a series of actions in order to halt the massacre.
Dragonfly migration coincides with the migration of the Amur Falcon over the Arabian Sea.
Hence, they turn out to be the greatest source of food for Amur Falcon.