17th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
A Hunter and His Eagle

At the top of a mountain, a Kazakh eagle hunter on horseback removes the hood from his golden eagle. According to legend, Chinggis Khan (known as Genghis in the West) was an eagle hunter and as a child, climbed the cliffside of a mountain to steal an egg so that he could raise and train his own bird. Modern Kazakh hunters will train a single bird for years to develop the partnership.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 10.2019
Date Uploaded: 11.2019
Photo Location: Tolbo, Mongolia
Camera: ILCE-7M2
Copyright: © John Dwyer