Understanding birds of prey

People & birds of prey

One art, many traditions

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Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan & western Mongolia · present day

The eagle hunters of Central Asia

Berkutchi, the eagle hunters of Central Asia, hunt with Golden Eagles. In Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan this knowledge is part of regional hunting culture. In the western Mongolian province of Bayan-Ölgii, Kazakh families preserve the same tradition and pass it on within the family.

The Kyrgyz salbuurun combines hunting with birds of prey with the work of taigans, a native sighthound breed. Differences between the regions lie in landscape, local transmission and the link with other forms of hunting, not in the origin of the tradition.