Two Amur Falcons rest near the BNHS Bird Migration Study Centre at Point Calimere after being blown off their migratory route by Cyclone Ditwah in Nagapattinam.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Cyclones often leave behind damaged roads, flooded neighbourhoods, and battered coastlines. This weekend, Cyclone Ditwah brought something unexpected to Tamil Nadu’s shore — two female Amur Falcons that were blown off their long migratory course and into Point Calimere (Kodiyakarai).
The Amur Falcon, a small raptor that breeds in southeastern Siberia and northern China, is one of the world’s most extraordinary migrants. Each year, it travels nearly 40,000 km, cutting across the Central Asian and West Asian flyways before crossing the Arabian Sea to reach southern Africa. Its typical route through India lies along the Gujarat-Maharashtra corridor. Tamil Nadu’s coast is far outside this path.
Yet this is not the first time storms have carried the species here. Point Calimere recorded its first-ever Amur Falcon in 2020, after cyclones Nivar and Burevi. In November 2024, two more were sighted during Cyclone Fengal. Now, as Cyclone Ditwah churned across the Bay, two female Amur Falcons appeared once again close to the BNHS Bird Migration Study Centre.
S. Sivakumar, Assistant Director, BNHS, said such sightings underline how cyclones alter migratory trajectories. “This is not their regular migratory route. Amur Falcons normally pass through Gujarat and Maharashtra. Strong cyclonic winds can blow them far from their viable path. We first recorded the species here in 2020. Now, during Cyclone Ditwah, two have appeared again,” he said.
For the birds, Kodiyakarai is an unscheduled halt — a rare pause in an otherwise relentless, transcontinental journey.
Published – November 30, 2025 06:23 pm IST
