Amur Falcon: The Pride of Tamenglong
Amur Falcon ( Falco amurensis ), locally known as “ Akhuaipuina ”,is a long distance, trans-equatorial migratory bird from Eastern Russia, China, and Mongolia. To be more specific, Amur Falcon breeds in the Eastern Palearctic from Transbaikalia, Russia, and central Mongolia east to Ussuriland (south-eastern Russia) and south to the Qinling Mountain range in central China. It is one of the most talked-about birds in Tamenglong among the 69 different species of Falcon found in India. Amur Falcon usually comes to India’s northeast particularly Tamenglong district of Manipur and Wokha district of Nagaland in the early or mid-October and spends 4-5 weeks before leaving for a long journey towards Southern Africa.After travelling a long distance from East Asia, the birds reached Northeast India lean and thin, but they became fat and healthy within a week or two after feeding themselves in this region. An Amur Falcon weighs about 160 grams and measures 25-30 cm in length. In an interaction w...