Amur Falcons Complete Epic 23‑Country Journey Back to Manipur

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav took to X on Friday with some exciting bird‑watching news – two Amur falcons, lovingly named Apapang and Alang, have finally set foot in Manipur again. It’s not just any return; these raptors have just clocked a near‑year‑long odyssey that spanned 23 different countries.

The story began back in November 2025 when scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) fitted the birds with tiny tracking tags in their breeding grounds of northeastern China. Little did they know that the birds would soon become globetrotters, fluttering across the sprawling landscapes of Central Asia, the deserts of the Middle East, and the savannas of Africa before looping back to the hills of India.

According to Yadav’s post, the falcons arrived in Manipur on Thursday – just eleven days after leaving their Chinese nesting sites. Their arrival marks the completion of the round‑trip journey that the researchers had been monitoring with bated breath. As Yadav put it, the birds are “true global citizens”, a phrase that felt almost poetic given the sheer distance covered.

Now, the pair is expected to linger for two to three weeks in the mist‑kissed mountains of Tamenglong district. Local villagers, who have grown accustomed to this annual spectacle, are already preparing simple platforms and feeding stations. The falcons will gorge on swarms of termites that emerge after the monsoon, building up the fat reserves they’ll need for the next leg of the trip.

That next leg is nothing short of spectacular: a nonstop 6‑day, roughly 6,000‑km flight that will take them over the Arabian Sea and into the heart of Somalia. It’s a grueling stretch, but the Amur falcons are built for it – they’ve been doing it for generations.

Yadav emphasized the community’s role, noting that the people of Tamenglong “eagerly wait for their return year after year and protect the falcons”. Their stewardship, combined with scientific tracking, provides invaluable data that could help safeguard these migratory marvels for the future.

So, while the headlines celebrate a successful return, the real story is about a partnership between scientists, policymakers, and ordinary citizens – all cheering on two small birds that dared to cross continents.