Rare Amur Falcon sighted near Sangareddy; birders call it a ‘dream encounter’

Three Hyderabad birders recorded a rare sighting of the Amur Falcon at Kistareddypet Lake near Sangareddy, marking one of the few observations in the region in recent years. The long-distance migrant undertakes a 20,000-km annual journey from Siberia to Africa.

HYDERABAD: For the seasoned birders’ trio of Syam Sundar Potturi, A. Jagadeesh and M. Rrajasekhar, it was one of the most pleasant surprises on a typical winter morning in December at the Kistareddypet Lake near Sangareddy in Telangana when they had a ‘dream’ encounter with the rarely sighted Amur Falcon.

“The Amur Falcon – the Miniature Marathoner undertakes one of the world’s longest raptor migrations: a 20,000 km round-trip between its Siberian breeding grounds and African wintering sites,” said Syam Sundar in a chat with ‘Telangana Today’.

---

“Every October-November, massive flocks pass through Northeast India (Nagaland, Manipur), using it as a critical staging area to build fat reserves for their most challenging leg: a 3,500-5,000 km non-stop flight across the Arabian Sea,” he said.

Syam Sundar recalls the recent satellite tracking, part of the Manipur Amur Falcon Tracking Project, confirming its incredible endurance. “In late 2025, one tagged male, Apapang, flew an estimated 6,100 km in just over six days to reach Africa, confirming the species’ reliance on India,” he said.

“Despite their small size (<200 g), their epic journey secures their place as one of nature’s greatest travelers,” said the avid bird watcher from Ameenpur in the City. “The news is that it has been spotted in Hyderabad by several birders in various still surviving grasslands,” he said on whether it is a unique sighting.

“We – the birding trio – Jags, Raja and I – were sitting and waiting for one of the bluethroats to appear for a photoshoot at Kistareddypet lake. We spotted something hovering in the air against the light and landing nearby. I took a couple of shots thinking it to be some kite as it was completely silhouetted,” Syam Sundar recalled how they sighted the Amur Falcon.

“A few minutes later we had our spotter Jags excitedly pointing towards a raptor perched just 25ft away on a thorny shrub. We recognised it immediately as we photographed the species near Pune a few years ago,” he said.

“There were a few sightings of the bird in and around Hyderabad this year. However, no sighting was recorded in the past so many years in this area. This rare sighting made our day and excited many birders who heard of it from us to try out their luck,” Syam Sundar said.