The entire flight of the Amur Falcon tracked by scientists

A tagged Amur Falcon named ‘Naga’ has made its way back almost an entire year after it first began its voyage. Scientists confirmed its return with much jubilation as this is the first time the impressive journey (up to 22,000 km long, the longest distance undertaken by a migratory bird) has been so accurately tracked.

October 29, 2014 was the historic day that all scientific communities are going to remember. Although their routes were successfully tracked, it still remains a mystery why the birds skip Nagaland, their mid-point between Mongolia and South Africa, on their return journey.

This is a project of studying migratory birds headed by conservationist Nick Williams and it is being done through the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals and the United Nations Environment Programme. Mr Williams says that the tracked routes show in detail the movement of the birds and also showcase their spectacular feat of crossing over the Arabian Sea.

These birds are under threat from hunters who sell their meat. Although Nagaland village officials have passed a law to ban hunting of the Amur falcon, remote regions of the neighboring states continue to show several instances of hunting thereby threatening to make this species potentially threatened.