IWN Daily Digest — Wednesday, 28 October 2026
Thousands of small falcons stop in north-east India every autumn to feast on termite swarms before flying across the Arabian Sea to Africa, which ties the survival of a migration spanning two continents to the villages and forests where they refuel.
As reported by The Better India:
“Apapang, Alang and Ahu may weigh just 150 grams each, but they have some serious frequent-flyer miles to clock.”
“On 11 November 2025, WII scientists fitted Apapang, an adult male, Alang, a young female, and Ahu, an adult female, with lightweight satellite transmitters weighing approximately 3.5–4 grams.”
The three birds are Amur falcons, and the scientists are from the Wildlife Institute of India, which tagged them in Tamenglong district of Manipur, according to the article. Apapang covered roughly 6,100 km in about six days, Alang roughly 5,600 km and Ahu roughly 5,100 km before they reached the Horn of Africa, and later updates placed the birds in Tanzania, Kenya and northern Somalia.
What fuels a crossing of that length is the subject of a 2024 study in the Journal of Raptor Research. Researchers examined about 1,200 regurgitated pellets collected at Pangti, Yaongyimchen and Hakhizhe in Nagaland in October and November of 2017 and 2018, and found that two species of subterranean termites, Odontotermes feae and Odontotermes horni, formed a substantial part of the falcons’ diet. The article says the protein-rich meals help the birds build the fat reserves they need for the nonstop flight over the sea.
Return Route
The same birds may rely on a second refuelling stop on the way back. A 2024 study in the Journal of Threatened Taxa documented repeated summer sightings of Amur falcons at D’Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh, which the article suggests could serve as a refuelling site during the return migration.
Large-scale hunting near Pangti village in Nagaland in 2012 drew attention to the falcons, and tracking began in 2013. Local communities in Nagaland and Manipur later became partners in protecting the birds.
Sources: The Better India
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