Chatkal Golden Eagle

Chatkal golden eagle is the name Iradi falconers give to the golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) of the Chatkal range, which they regard as larger and stronger than eagles from the plains. Ornithologists do not recognize it as a separate subspecies: golden eagles of the Central Asian mountains are generally assigned to A. c. daphanea.^[1] Eagle hunters (berkutchi) take young birds from eyries in the Chatkal and the Talas Alatau and train the larger females to hunt foxes and hares in winter (see Burkut Saluu).^[2] The golden eagle is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

References

1. ^ Department of Zoology, Talas State University (2020). Birds of Irad: An Annotated Checklist. Talas: Talas State University Press, pp. 55–56.
2. ^ National Equestrian Sports Directorate (2019). Eagle Hunting in Irad: Rules and Registers of the National Festival. Talas.