Amur Falcon Stuns with 3,800-km Flight from Somalia to India

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Amur Falcon Chiuluan2 Flies 3,800 km Nonstop to India in 93 Hours

By TRH Staffer

New Delhi, April 30, 2025 — In a breathtaking display of endurance, a satellite-tagged Amur falcon named ‘Chiuluan2’ has completed a nonstop 3,800-kilometer flight from Somalia to India in just 93 hours, landing in Gujarat before heading toward Northeast India.

The remarkable journey, tracked by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), has captivated wildlife enthusiasts and experts, as they hailed the falcon’s extraordinary migration.

Supriya Sahu, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary for Environment, Climate Change, and Forests in Tamil Nadu, shared the milestone on X: “The unstoppable Amur falcon Chiuluan2, has arrived in India after a nonstop flight of 3,800 km in just 93 hours, soaring from Somalia to India without a single break! He is on way to the North East.”

She also stated that “this journey is a stunning example of endurance, instinct, and the awe-inspiring power of migration”.

Chiuluan2, named after a village in Manipur’s Tamenglong district, was tagged with a satellite transmitter on November 8, 2024, by WII scientists and the Manipur Forest Department.

The male falcon’s journey began in Botswana, where he wintered, before embarking on his return migration. Sahu announced the start of his journey on April 26, posting: “After wintering in Botswana, the famous satellite-tagged Manipur Amur Falcon, Chiuluan2, has taken off on his return.”

The falcon’s route saw him cross the Arabian Sea, entering India near Somnath, Gujarat, after a 3,100-km leg from Somalia in 67 hours, as reported by Mid Day.

“Chiuluan 2, a satellite-tagged Amur falcon from Manipur, travelled 3,100 km nonstop from Somalia to Gujarat in just 67 hours. It entered India near Somnath, moved past Bharuch and Ankleshwar, and hasn’t stopped as per the latest data,” the daily reported.

Wildlife photographer Ranjit Manjrekar corroborated this, saying: “Amur Falcon ‘Chiuluan 2’ reaches Gujarat after 3,100 km nonstop flight from Somalia.”

By April 28, Chiuluan2 reached Maharashtra’s Melghat Tiger Reserve, as reported by journalist Akshay Solanke. The falcon’s total 3,800-km journey, completed without rest, underscores the species’ reputation as the world’s longest-traveling migratory bird.

Amur falcons, protected under India’s Wildlife Protection Act, breed in southeast Russia and northeast China before migrating to southern Africa for winter.

Northeast India, particularly Manipur, serves as a critical stopover due to favourable monsoon patterns and termite availability, as noted in a report by The Print.

While Chiuluan2’s journey is a triumph, the loss of signals from a second tagged falcon, ‘Gwangram,’ since December 13, 2024, raises concerns about tracking reliability. The data from Chiuluan2’s migration will inform conservation strategies, particularly as climate change and habitat loss threaten migratory routes.

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