Kohima: It is that time of the year in Nagaland when Amur Falcons, the world’s longest-traveling migratory birds, visits the state. While these birds have already arrived in parts of the state, it is for the first time that Amur Falcons were sighted at Zhadima village, about 20 KM from Kohima town.
Videos of the migratory birds flying in the skies of Zhadima village, under chief minister Neiphiu Rio’s Northern Angami-II Assembly Constituency, began to circulate online on Thursday. The videos were originally shared by Vizosielie Khoubve, the advisor of the Zhadima Village Youth and Sports Organisation (ZVYSO).
Amur falcons arrive in the state starting October and spend around 45 days feasting on insects.
When contacted, Khoubve told EastMojo that the video footages of the Amur Falcons were shot near the 10th Indian Reserve (IR) Battalion camp in the village. “As I travelled towards Zhadi-II Khel, I noticed the birds in huge number and so I when I reached the Khel, I tried to confirm if these were Amur Falcons,” he recalled.
Khoubve informed that the locals were referring these birds as “small eagle” in their local dialect.
When the youth leader informed the locals about Amur Falcons and its conservation activities across the state, he said that the locals revealed that these birds have been sighted in the village during the past two-three days.
With two major power stations located in the village, it was learnt that locals sighted the Amur Falcons on electrical wires.
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“We are yet to find out if there is a roosting area in our village jurisdiction or if they are just passing through,” Khoubve added.
While it was for the first time that the Amur Falcons were captured on camera, the chairman of Zhadima village told EastMojo that Amur Falcons were also seen flying in the village in the past few years. He informed that locals have been alerted through the village GBs not to hunt down the protected species.
Meanwhile, a forest official also confirmed that the birds seen in the video are Amur Falcons.
Also Read | Why are fewer Amur Falcons roosting at Nagaland’s Pangti this year?