Falconry and hunting-bird demonstrations

The art of training falcons, eagles and other birds of prey and flying them at quarry.

Names among the peoples

About

Falconry is the art of training and flying falcons, eagles, hawks and other birds of prey. The Kazakhs call it qusbegilik, the Kyrgyz kush salu. The practice is more than 4,000 years old. In Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia hunters traditionally go out with the golden eagle (berkut), often on horseback, and hunt foxes.

It was originally a way of obtaining food. Over time it has become a social tradition that brings people together. Knowledge is passed on from mentor to pupil, in families and in clubs. The bond between the falconer and the bird, the methods of breeding and training, and the equipment are the core of this heritage. Today falconers also take particular care to safeguard the birds, their quarry and nature.

UNESCO has inscribed falconry on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity under the name "Falconry, a living human heritage". The 2021 inscription covers 24 countries, among them Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Rules in brief

At the World Nomad Games the contest with birds of prey is held for three kinds of bird: the golden eagle, the hawk and the falcon.

The falcon and the hawk are tested by their attack on a lure swung on a rope: the bird's speed and the number of attacks are assessed.

The golden eagle is tested twice. First, the time it takes to fly to the hand of its handler, who stands at a distance holding bait, is measured. Second, it is judged on how quickly it catches the bait dragged behind its handler galloping on horseback.

Federations and competitions

UNESCO. In Kazakhstan's national sports register (qusbegilik).

Peoples

Research: Vasif Namazov, Turan Games Concept

Sources

  1. Qazax milli oyunları — Orexca
  2. Qırğız milli oyunları
  3. UNESCO — Ov quşları ilə ovçuluq, canlı insan irsi
  4. V Dünya Köçəri Oyunları: ov quşları yarışa hazırlanır — Kazinform, 2024
  5. Dünya Köçəri Oyunlarının idman növləri — Wild Frontiers, 2024
  6. Falconry — Vikipediya (ingiliscə)
  7. Şəkil: tjabeljan, CC BY 2.0 — Wikimedia Commons