EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Each week a different image of our fascinating environment is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional ecologist.

2-8 November 2020

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Golden on Perch

Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), Family Accipitridae
Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, Mongolia

Credit & Copyright: Dr. Bruce G. Marcot

Explanation:  This is a captive.  But here, in Mongolia, falconry is a cultural tradition, and Golden Eagles are commonly used for hunting small mammals of the steppe country.  



This eagle may be missing
a left foot, which would
render it far less capable
of snagging prey on
the wing.

 


  

Mongolia honors its falcony heritage in an annual Golden Eagle Festival, although in recent years this has expanded into more of a curiosity for tourism.  

 

  
The Mongolian falconry tradition was even made into a major motion picture featuring a young girl as the story hero.  


Information:
     Soma, T., and B. Sukhee.  2014.  Altai Kazakh falconry as 'heritage tourism': The golden eagle festivals of western Mongolia.  International Journal of Intangible Heritage 9:135-147.
            

Next week's picture:  The Toughest Beetle

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