Hunting with eagles

Hunting with eagles is a traditional form of falconry found throughout the Eurasian Steppe, practiced by ancient Khitan and Turkic peoples.

Today it is practiced by Kazakhs and the Kyrgyz in contemporary Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as diasporas in Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia, and Xinjiang, China.

In Old Turkic, kush begi was a title used for the khan's most respected advisors, reflecting the valued role of the court falconer.

[3] In 936-45 AD the Khitans, a nomadic people from Manchuria who spoke a Para-Mongolic language, conquered part of north China.

[10] [11] During the communist period in Kazakhstan, many Kazakhs fled for Mongolia to avoid being forced to abandon their nomadic lifestyle and sent to collective farms.