Amur Falcons: A Complete Overview

Amur Falcons

#GS-03 Biodiversity

For Prelims:

About Amur Falcons:

  • 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.