At a Glance
Four facts to hold on to.
Doyang, Nagaland
A stopover near Pangti village, Wokha district.
100,000+ killed
Hunted in the 2012 season. Then the hunting stopped.
5,000-6,000 km
Non-stop Arabian Sea crossing in 4 to 5 days.
Tags monitor
Satellite tags watch the birds. They do not guide them.
In this lesson
From Mass Hunting to Global Recognition
The problem
- Amur Falcons stop at Doyang, a reservoir near Pangti village in Nagaland’s Wokha district.
- They once faced mass hunting there. In the 2012 season alone, hunters killed over 100,000 birds.
The turnaround
- A sustained campaign ended the hunting. It united the Nagaland Forest Department, local communities, and NGOs such as the Bombay Natural History Society.
- Villagers now actively protect the roosting falcons.
- The site is celebrated globally as the “Amur Falcon capital of the world”. It is a real community-led conservation success.
True or False: In the 2012 season, hunters killed over 100,000 Amur Falcons at Doyang. A sustained campaign later ended the hunting.
A Stopover, Not a Home
Breeding grounds and timing
- Amur Falcons breed far to the north, across Siberia, Mongolia, and northern China.
- Doyang is only a stopover, not a permanent home.
- They roost there for a few weeks each October and November. They rest and feed before moving on.
Destination and the Arabian Sea crossing
- Their journey ends in southern Africa. One way, the trip is about 14,500 km. The full annual round trip is close to 22,000 km.
- The most striking leg is the Arabian Sea. It is a non-stop flight of roughly 5,000-6,000 km that takes 4 to 5 days.
- This is the longest known non-stop oceanic crossing by any raptor species.
True or False: The Amur Falcon’s non-stop Arabian Sea crossing is the longest known non-stop oceanic crossing by any raptor.
Previous Year Question
One recent UPSC question tested this story.
- UPSC CSP 2026Asked which statements about Amur Falcons arriving at Doyang Lake each year are correct. The conservation-success claim is correct. The tracking-technology claim is the trap, because tracking studies migration and does not cause birds to return. The permanent-residency claim is also wrong, because Doyang is a stopover. View this question.
True or False: Satellite tracking is what causes Amur Falcons to return to Doyang every year.
What Tracking Actually Does
Monitor, not guide
- Satellite tags let researchers study the migration route in detail. The tags monitor the birds. They do not guide them.
- Falcons find their way using their own innate biological cues, not human technology.
- Nagaland pioneered satellite tagging of Amur Falcons in 2013. It was the first such effort for the species anywhere.
Think it through: how do the birds find their way if tags don’t guide them?
The falcons rely on their own innate cues, not on any human technology. Scientists don’t fully understand every mechanism. But migratory birds are known to use several cues. These include the Earth’s magnetic field and the position of the sun and stars. Inherited route memory likely plays a role too. A tag only records where a bird goes. Removing it would not change the route at all.
True or False: Nagaland pioneered satellite tagging of Amur Falcons in 2013. It was the first such effort for the species anywhere.
Current Affairs
Three tagged falcons reach Africa (2025)
- On 8 November 2025, three Amur Falcons named Apapang, Alang, and Ahu were satellite-tagged at the Chiuluan roosting site in Manipur’s Tamenglong district.
- The Manipur State Forest Department and the Wildlife Institute of India ran the tagging, with local volunteers from Chiuluan village.
- All three reached Africa in a record 9 to 10 days. Ahu reached Somalia, Apapang reached Zimbabwe, and Alang reached Botswana.
- Source: Nagaland Post.
True or False: In 2025, three satellite-tagged Amur Falcons from Manipur reached Africa in a record 9 to 10 days.
Quick Q&A
Where do Amur Falcons stop in Nagaland?
Doyang reservoir, near Pangti village in Wokha district.
How many were killed in the 2012 season?
Over 100,000.
How long is the Arabian Sea crossing?
Roughly 5,000-6,000 km, in 4 to 5 days.
What do satellite tags do?
They monitor the birds. They don’t guide them.
When did Nagaland pioneer satellite tagging?
2013.
🎲 Practice: Amur Falcons
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