Amur Falcon, a rare migratory bird sighted in forests of Asifabad

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: A rare migratory bird, Amur falcon, was sighted in the forests of Penchikalpet forest range for the first time, bringing cheer to foresters, on Friday. Penchikalpet Forest Range Officer Satla Venugopal said that Adilabad-based wildlife photographer Lingampalli Krishna captured the image of the small raptor during the all India carnivore sign survey […]

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: A rare migratory bird, Amur falcon, was sighted in the forests of Penchikalpet forest range for the first time, bringing cheer to foresters, on Friday. Penchikalpet Forest Range Officer Satla Venugopal said that Adilabad-based wildlife photographer Lingampalli Krishna captured the image of the small raptor during the all India carnivore sign survey being carried by the forest department. The migratory bird was recorded for the first time in the wild of this region, he informed. The sighting is a welcoming sign, he added.

Students of Forest College and Research Institute (FCRI), who were volunteering the exercise and wildlife enthusiasts Ramu, Sujeet and Vikas, were present. Krishna was roped in by the forest department to click photographs of the wildlife of the region. Barber by profession, he ventured into wildlife photography recently.

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According to ornithologists, Amur falcon birds make the daring and marathon voyage from breeding grounds in Russia and China to winter in southern Africa every year. They are known to feed on small birds and frogs. During their migration, it is believed they consume migrating dragonflies. The population of the birds is distributed in Southeast Siberia, Amurland in Russia, northwestern Mongolia, northeastern China and North Korea.

The discovery of the rare birds proved that the wild of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district is one of the much-sought after destinations to migratory birds including painted storks and Amur falcon. A slew of measures to conserve the flora and fauna of the wild being taken for the past few years are yielding positive results now,” Venugopal remarked.

In December of 2019, two Himalayan griffons (Gyps Himalayensis), categorized as Old World Vulture, were sighted at the colony of long-billed vultures (Gyps Indicus) conservation project situated at Palarapu cliff in the forests of Nandigoan village in Penchikalpet mandal. The colony, which houses around 30 endangered vultures, funded by the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), commenced in January of 2015.

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