The Tamenglong district administration in Manipur has banned airguns and directed them to be deposited with village authorities after the arrival of the Amur falcon.
The longest-flying migratory bird, Amur falcon has arrived in Tamenglong. Every year during October month the migratory bird come to the district and other parts of the state.
The district magistrate’s order issued on Friday said the period was crucial in the life cycle of the Amur falcon “as the migratory bird usually arrives in many parts of the Northeast, including Tamenglong, in the second week of October and is likely to roost till the end of November 2022”.
Hunting, catching, killing, and selling the bird is also prohibited.
Locally known as Akhuipuina, the bird arrives mainly in Manipur and Nagaland on its southbound migration from breeding grounds in North China, Eastern Mongolia, and far-east Russia en-route to its wintering grounds in South Africa.
The one-way journey via India is about 20,000 km long and the birds do this twice a year. They spend three-four weeks in many parts of Manipur to build fat reserves by preying on termites that emerge around this time.
An official of the district forest division said the migratory bird is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and included under its Schedule IV.
In 2018, the forest department started a conservation programme by radio-tagging the birds to study their migratory route.
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