- The Amur Falcon is a long-distance Migratory bird. It is a small raptor of the falcon family
- Breeding: It breeds in south-eastern Siberia and Northern China before migrating in large flocks across India and over the Arabian Sea to winter in Southern Africa
- Travel distance: It travels around 22,000 kms which is one of the longest distances to be travelled by a bird
- At just 150 grams, an Amur falcon, Falco amurensis is a small bird, the male mostly grey in colour, and the females having dark-streaked cream or orange underparts.
- IUCN status: Least concerned
- Amur Falcon is protected under both the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Convention on Migratory species
- It is also listed in Appendix II of CITES.
Amur Falcon in India:
- Hunters in Nagaland used to trap them, slaughter them or take them to local markets alive and sold as fresh food.
- With collaborative efforts of Birdlife International and the Ministry of Environment and climate change most bird catchers have turned bird lovers, and the species is recognized as friends of the tribal.
- Doyang Lake in Nagaland offers opportunities to bird gaze like no other in the country. This huge water reservoir that is formed due to the impounding of the waters of the River Doyang near Doyang dam region attracts a large number of migratory birds during the winter season each year, primary among these is the Amur Falcon
