Amur Falcon
2022 NOV 7
Preliminary >
Environment and Ecology > Species extinction & protection > Species in news
Why in news?
- With the arrival of the Amur falcon, the Tamenglong district administration in Manipur has banned airguns and directed them to be deposited with village authorities.
- Hunting, catching, killing and selling the bird are also prohibited.
About Amur Falcons:
- Amur falcons are world’s longest travelling raptors (22,000-kilometre migratory route) start travelling with the onset of winters.
- The raptors breed in southeastern Siberia and northern China, and migrate in millions across India and then over the Indian Ocean to southern Africa before returning to Mongolia and Siberia.
- They get their name from the Amur River that forms the border between Russia and China.
- The birds are the least concern under the IUCN Red List.
???????Amur falcon and India:
- Doyang Lake in Wokha, Nagaland is better known as a stopover for the Amur falcons during their annual migration from their breeding grounds to warmer South Africa.
- Thus, Nagaland (Pangti Village) is also known as the "Falcon Capital of the World".
- The species is protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the Convention on Migratory Species, to which India is a signatory (which means it is mandatory to protect the birds).
PRACTICE QUESTION:
Consider the following statements regarding Amur Falcons
1. They are non-migratory bird species
2. They are listed as critically endangered in IUCN Red List
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer