Amur Falcon
Why in News?
- An Amur falcon was sighted earlier recently on the campus of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) at Kodiakkarai, abutting the Point Calimere Sanctuary, in Nagapattinam district.
- The bird, sighted for the first time in the area.
- It is unusual to find the bird in south India. Usually, it takes the path of central India on its lengthy migration from the breeding grounds in Russia and China to South Africa.
Migration
- The small, resilient birds make the daring voyage to winter in southern Africa.
- The falcons are supposed to cross the Arabian Sea during their migration, but much is still unknown about the patterns of their estimated 22,000 km journey.
- Migratory birds have gathered in and around Point Calimere this northeast monsoon season.
Significance
- For long-distance migratory shorebirds, staging as well as stopover sites are of critical importance. Shorebirds are sensitive indicators of global climate change, and the populations of many long-distance migrants are in decline.
Rising sea level
- The rising sea level is certainly affecting migratory and wintering shorebirds, perhaps favouring some and not others.
- The birds seen here include flamingoes, painted storks, pelicans, gulls, ducks, terns, and a variety of shorebirds.