Injured Amur falcon rescued from Worli

The bird was also dehydrated

In a rare sighting, an Amur falcon bird, which migrates over 20,000 km, was found in an injured condition in Mumbai's Worli. The bird is known to be a passage migrant, as it travels from Mongolia to South Africa at a speed of over 100 km per hour, and takes breaks in between.

Thane-based NGO Wildlife Welfare Association (WWA) rescued the bird on Tuesday. Speaking to mid-day, volunteer Raj Jadhav from NGO WWA said, "Some local people saw a bird in distress near the Worli bus depot and contacted us on our helpline number. Immediately a team member rushed to the spot and rescued the bird, as it was unable to fly. Our veterinarian examined the bird and found it to be highly dehydrated and with minor injuries. The bird has been kept under observation and will be released once declared fit."

Amur Falcon migrates from breeding grounds in eastern Asia to South Africa. To fuel up for their huge open-water crossing - the Indian Ocean - it stops for over two months at the Doyang Dam Reservoir in Nagaland.

In January this year the bird was spotted at Lonavala and pictures of the sighting at the ghats had gone viral on social media. As people were crowding at the Lonavala ghats to take pictures of the birds, the forest department banned photography at the site fearing that the presence of too many spectators might disturb the species.

100km/hr
Speed at which the bird flies