The Amur Falcon flies 4,750 kilometres in 95 hours non-stop from Somalia to Bihar

An Amur Falcon named 'Apapang' has completed an astounding journey, flying nonstop over 4,750 kilometres in 95 hours from Somalia to the Gaya-Rohtas landscape. This remarkable achievement showcases the bird's status as one of nature’s elite trans-oceanic migrants. Weighing about as much as a smartphone, these birds make this journey across the Arabian Sea every year, utilising favourable tailwinds and vast stretches of open water without taking a break. Conservationists track Apapang using satellite technology, and its arrival in the Gaya-Rohtas area offers crucial information about migration paths. This incredible trip highlights why global conservation efforts are essential to protect these small yet highly resilient raptors on their 22,000-kilometre annual migration. Such high-endurance flights underscore the critical need for preserving international flyways to ensure species survival.The Amur Falcon, known scientifically as Falco amurensis, holds the record for the longest flight over water among birds of prey. According to a journal of the Society for Conservation Biology, reveal that these falcons have developed specialised metabolic fueling strategies, which help them endure days of flying nonstop. They embark on their migration just as dragonflies, known as wandering gliders, appear. This timing provides a crucial protein-rich diet at the beginning of their journey across the Indian Ocean.Researchers can now track birds in real-time using 5-gram solar-powered PTT (Platform Transmitter Terminal) tags, like the one on Apapang. For instance, government efforts led by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have mapped these routes. They discovered that birds harness strong tailwinds at high altitudes to migrate from East Africa to Southern Asia. Amur Falcons migrate across several countries, so the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) protects them. India, a signatory to the CMS, has pledged to keep ‘flyway’ habitats secure. This means ensuring landing areas in Nagaland, Manipur, and Bihar are safe from threats like hunting and habitat destruction. The success of the Amur Falcon's 95-hour journey relies heavily on climate patterns, especially the monsoon winds. Research published in avian biology journals indicates that changes in these wind patterns due to climate change could increase the energetic cost of migration; this shift might require the Falcons to expend significantly more effort.