150-gram Amur Falcons tracked from Manipur to Africa in epic 6,000-km flight
Apapang, Alang and Ahu may weigh just 150 grams each, but they have some serious frequent-flyer miles. They are Amur Falcons.
In November 2025, the three Amur falcons were fitted with satellite tags by scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Tamenglong district, Manipur, to track their epic journey from Northeast India to Africa.
On November 11, scientists fitted Apapang, an adult male, Alang, a young female, and Ahu, an adult female, with lightweight satellite transmitters weighing approximately 3.5-4 grams. The birds took flight the following day.
According to tracking updates shared by Tamil Nadu Additional Chief Secretary Supriya Sahu, Apapang covered approximately 6,100 kilometres in six days and eight hours to reach Tanzania. Alang travelled around 5,600 kilometres in six days and 14 hours to Kenya, while Ahu covered approximately 5,100 kilometres in five days to northern Somalia.
Their routes differed, but all three completed non-stop crossings over the Indian mainland and Arabian Sea. Researchers say Northeast India is a crucial stopover as the birds feed on swarms of subterranean termites that emerge after the monsoon to build fat reserves for the oceanic flight. A 2024 study found that a million falcons could consume two billion termites in just over a fortnight.
The tracking is part of a conservation success story. After large-scale hunting was reported around Pangti village in Nagaland in 2012, WII, forest departments and local communities have worked to protect the species, which breeds in Russia, China and Mongolia and winters in Africa.
