19/12/2025
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗺𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗻
The Amur Falcon is a small bird of prey, yet it completes one of the longest migrations in the natural world. Every year, it travels nearly 20,000 to 30,000 kilometres between East Asia and southern Africa.
The journey begins in eastern Siberia, China, Mongolia, and North Korea, where the birds breed between May and July. They do not build their own nests, instead using old nests abandoned by crows and magpies.
As temperatures drop in September, insects disappear. Staying behind would mean starvation, so migration becomes unavoidable.
From September to October, the falcons move south through China, Southeast Asia, Myanmar, and Northeast India.
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁
In Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur, post-monsoon weather brings a huge rise in flying insects. The falcons stop here for 10 to 25 days, feeding heavily and building up body fat. This stored energy is essential for the next stage of the journey.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆
After leaving India, many Amur Falcons fly non-stop across the Arabian Sea, covering 2,500 to 4,000 kilometres. They remain in the air for three to five days without landing, eating, or drinking, surviving only on stored fat, water produced inside their bodies, and favourable winds. A single mistake can be fatal.
𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲
By November or December, the birds reach southern Africa, where they rest and feed until March. When spring arrives, they begin their journey back to Asia, mostly following land routes. By May, they return to their breeding grounds, and the cycle begins again.
The Amur Falcon survives not because it is strong, but because it gets everything right — timing, route, and one crucial stop.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗺𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮
The best place to see Amur Falcons during migration in Northeast India is the Doyang Reservoir in the Wokha region of Nagaland, especially from mid-October onwards.
