A demoiselle crane tagged in Mongolia’s Khurkh Valley has reached Khichan in Jodhpur after covering a distance of 4,032km in 151 days.

Experts said it is so far the longest recorded flight of a demoiselle crane (identified as T-54), which was banded by researcher TuvshintugsSukhbaatar at Onon Balj Basin National Park bordering East Siberia on July 25.

Another researcher Nimbiar Batbayar confirmed that T-54 was one of the two chicks banded in Khurkh Valley.

Ornithologist Dau Lal Bohra said, “The previous record by a demoiselle crane coming to Rajasthan was around 3,500 km. But T-54 has broken the record by covering 4,032km in approximately 151 days.”

The band or tag tied to the bird’s leg has revealed that it crossed China, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh before reaching Rajasthan.

To reach the state, the bird (smallest of the 15 species of cranes) flew at altitudes of up to 26,000 feet. The migration route is considered as one of the most difficult ones as it passes over the Himalayas.

The bird was tagged under the 1,000-Crane Project, a multi-country initiative that extends over years, tracking multiple migrations and species and populations of cranes, following routes, resting sites, the impact of climate change and even social structures among birds.

“The banding allows easy identification and helps establish connections between two distant sites the tagged bird visited. It provides information on the bird’s lifespan and the flight tendency,” said Veerbhan Singh, a bird watcher.

Seva Ram Mali, who spotted the bird said, “Last year, a tagged bird died after consuming pesticides. We are extra cautious this year and educating farmers around Khichan not to use it.”

Khichan village houses up to 40,000 cranes at a time in various batches and groups. The return journey of demoiselle cranes to their summer home in Mongolia will start sometime in March.