File image of Amur falcons flocking at Doyang, in Pangti village of Nagaland's Wokha district. Courtesy: E-Pao!

To provide a safe roosting place for the Amur falcons, a three-kilometer area in Wokha district has been declared as a silent zone.

These migratory birds stop in hordes in most of the places in Nagaland’s Wokha district for the later months of a year.

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Amur falcons, which migrate to their wintering grounds in South Africa, usually arrived in large numbers during October in Nagaland and Manipur besides a few other places in Northeast undertaking a yearly journey of about 20,000 km.

They leave the region in November after having enough food for their non-stop flight to Africa where they spend their winters.

Also read: Manipur: Ahead of Amur Falcons’ sojourn, Tamenglong dist admin bans air guns

The Amur falcons mostly congregate at the Doyang reservoir located in Wokha’s Pangti village and roost there from October to November.

However, local people often organize picnics or concerts in the scenic Pangti village during the months of October and November.

Also read: WII scientists to tag five Amur falcons in Manipur next month

In order to stop people from frolicking the site and disturb the roosting place of the Amur falcons, the Wokha district of Nagaland has been declared a silent zone .

The district administration had recently issued an order prohibiting any activity for the month of October and November which may disturb the Amur falcons.

It may be mentioned that the local people of Doyang had earlier hunted these migratory birds for food and for sale in the local markets to make a living.

Also read: First flock of Amur falcons arrives in Nagaland

However, the people, on realizing the value of the Amur falcons, have worked towards conservation of these migratory birds which has now become a source of pride of the state and lead to the development of its tourism sector.