Hunting Birds

birds of prey (golden eagles, falcons, hawks) used in sport and commercial hunting for animals and birds. The use of hunting birds (falconry) was especially developed in Russia in the 15th-17th centuries and has been preserved today in Abkhazia and Adzharia (hunting quail with sparrow hawks), in Kirghizia and Kazakhstan (hunting foxes, hares, and wolves with golden eagles and hunting ducks, geese, pheasants, and hares with goshawks), and in Turkmenistan (hunting ducks, bustards, and hares with saker falcons). Young birds of prey, which are taken from the nest or caught by nets, are trained for a long time to be able to strike down or overtake a flushed game bird or animal and hold it until the hunter’s arrival. An experienced hunter with a golden eagle can capture 30–40 foxes during the autumn and winter hunting seasons. The universal decrease in the population of birds of prey is leading to the disappearance of hunting with hunting birds.