Mogadishu, Somalia – A small Amur falcon fitted with a tag by Indian wildlife experts has finished an impressive 5,000-kilometer journey from northeastern India to Somalia in a little more than five days, according to officials.
The bird, an adult male called Apapang, forms part of a trio of falconsincluding Alang, a juvenile female, and Ahu, an adult femalethat launched their ocean-spanning trip on Nov. 11 after tagging in Phase 2 of the Manipur Amur Falcon Tracking Project, directed by the Wildlife Institute of India.
Supriya Sahu, additional chief secretary of Tamil Nadu’s Environment, Climate Change and Forests Department, shared Apapang’s arrival on the social media platform X, observing that the falcon has managed comparable sea crossings in previous years.
“Apapang has now covered nearly 5,400 km, and it has taken him 5 days and 15 hours,” Sahu wrote.
Tipping the scales at about 150 grams, Apapang astonished researchers by averaging nearly 1,000 kilometers per day, including over 3,000 kilometers in his initial 76 hours after tagging. Tracking information reveals he traversed central India before undertaking the extended nonstop flight across the Arabian Sea to the Horn of Africa.
Researchers are following the three falcons on one of the planet’s most challenging bird migrations, from Manipur’s woodlands to East Africa. The remaining two tagged birds continue their travels.
Amur falcons endured heavy hunting in northeast India in the past, but recent conservation measuresdriven partly by Manipur communitieshave bolstered species protection. Local villagers, once hunters, now contribute significantly to their conservation, with the yearly migration fostering regional pride.
Researchers state Apapang’s recent flight emphasizes the exceptional stamina of these diminutive raptors during their seasonal continent-crossing migrations.
