6,000 km in 6 days: 150-gram falcon bird from India shows navigational mastery

Days before 2025 ends, three Amur falcons showcased strong navigational skills and migratory might, flying from India and finding their way all the way to distant and different regions.

The three tiny, and endangered, birds flew thousands of kilometres, travelling from Asia to Africa and were tracked using satellite tracking.

The long, arduous journey was undertaken by Apapang, an adult male, Alang, a young female, and Ahu, an adult female.

The three birds, on November 11, were tagged as part of the Manipur Amur Falcon Tracking Project (Phase 2) led by the Wildlife Institute of India.

The Amur Falcons are birds of prey, weighing merely around 90-150 grams and are covered in grey feathers.

The birds are known to breed in China or Russia and then begin their migration in October until December. The migratory period sees them fly long distances, starting from parts of Northeast India and Bangladesh. They then take an unstopped flight across the Indian Ocean, arriving in Africa and often travel to the southern regions of the continent for the duration of winter.

Amur falcons can sense Earth’s magnetic field, allowing them to determine direction even over open oceans. Specialised cells, likely involving magnetite crystals or light-sensitive proteins in the eye, act as an internal compass.

Indian researchers tracked the journey of the tiny birds as part of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) project has highlighted how similar projects can help humans understand animals and birds better and inform conservation efforts.

The geotagged falcons began their migratory journey from Manipur, a region that has taken upon itself to protect the endangered species, as the birds tend to begin these long-distance flights from the rural areas of Manipur.

The three satellite-tagged birds that began their migratory journey in November and first flew from Manipur to Somalia, according to Supriya Sahu, the additional chief secretary of Tamil Nadu’s Environment, Climate Change & Forests department.

Sahu took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to announce the latest developments.

“Here we go again with our AmursApapang, Alang and Ahu. Just when you think their journey can’t surprise you anymore, they do.
As Christmas lights spread cheer, Apapang is around the City of Harare in Zimbabwe, reminding us how closely nature and cities can overlap. Alang has drifted further west into the magical Okavango Delta in Botswana and Ahu she’s still transmitting from Xaafuun in Somalia,” Sahu wrote.

– Ends