Context

Nagaland is undertaking the first avian documentation exercise to go beyond Amur falcons, the migratory raptor that put the State on the world birding map. 

About

• Exercise Name: Tokhü Emong Bird Count (TEBC) 
• The exercise entails watching and counting birds from anywhere in Nagaland for at least 15 minutes and uploading the avian names on eBird (www.ebird.org/india), the bird recording platform.
• The TEBC falls within the Salim Ali Bird Count, a nationwide event conducted by the Bombay Natural History Society.

Knowing the Species

• Amur falcon (Falcon amurensis) is the world’s longest-travelling raptor.
• The species is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and included under Schedule IV.
• It comes under the category of Least Concern under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
  
  
  

Tracking the Journey:

• Duration: October-November
• Amur falcons migrate to their wintering grounds in South Africa, usually arriving in large numbers during October in Nagaland and Manipur besides other places in the northeast, undertaking a yearly journey of about 20,000 km.
• They leave the region in November after having enough food for their non-stop flight to Africa where they spend their winters.