Amur Falcon Stopover — Nagaland India
The Amur falcon (Falco amurensis) staging in Nagaland in northeast India from mid-October through November is the world's largest raptor congregation — up to 1 million falcons roosting in the trees around Doyang reservoir in what the local Nagaland government has transformed from a hunting ground (the falcons were historically hunted) to a protected spectacle. The birds' 22,000-kilometre migration from Siberia and China to South Africa involves a non-stop crossing of the Indian Ocean, and the Nagaland staging provides the last major refuelling opportunity before the ocean crossing. At the pre-roost gathering from 4pm each evening, tens of thousands of falcons circle overhead in kettles while others drop into the roosting trees in a continuous stream — the sky above Doyang filled with small dark falcons for 90 minutes. The local Amur Falcon Festival celebrates both the migration and the community's successful conservation of the species.
About this spectacle
Each October and November, the skies above Doyang Reservoir in Nagaland's Wokha District fill with one of the most astonishing wildlife spectacles on Earth. Up to one million Amur falcons — small, agile raptors migrating from Siberia and China to wintering grounds in South Africa — descend on the trees surrounding this reservoir for their final major refuelling stop before a non-stop crossing of the Indian Ocean. From around 4pm each evening, tens of thousands of birds spiral in vast kettles overhead, their dark silhouettes wheeling against the sky in a continuous, swirling stream that lasts roughly 90 minutes before they settle into the roosting trees. The sound of massed wingbeats and calls fills the air. Once hunted here in large numbers, the falcons now benefit from active community protection championed by the local Nagaland government, making this a remarkable story of conservation as much as natural spectacle. The annual Amur Falcon Festival marks the season with local celebration.
When to go
Oct — Nov
Getting there
Nearest airport: DMU. Nearest city: Dimapur.
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