THE PHILIPPINE EAGLE
Pithecophaga jefferyi
The Philippine eagle is the largest forest raptor in the Philippines and the country's National Bird.
The Philippine eagle is one of the rarest eagles in the world. It is a giant bird of prey that can only be seen on 4 islands in the Philippines- Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao.
It is considered to be one of the largest and most powerful among forest raptors. They are also listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with an estimated number of only 400 pairs left in the wild.
QUICK FACTS ABOUT THE
PHILIPPINE EAGLES IN THE WILD
Philippine eagles are solitary and territorial creatures.
They take 5-7 years to sexually mature.
The Philippine eagle pair needs about 4000-11000 hectares of forest land to thrive in the wild, depending on the number of prey items in the area.
It only lays a single egg every two years. They wait for their offspring to make it on their own (usually within two years) before producing another offspring.
They typically nest on large dipterocarp trees like the native species Lauan.
They can live up to 40+ years in captivity but probably much less in the wild
The egg is incubated alternately by both eagle parents for about 58 – 60 days, with the male eagle doing most of the hunting during the first 40 days of the eaglet’s life while the female stays with the young.
THE DECLINE OF THE PHILIPPINE EAGLE
The Philippine eagles in the wild are threatened daily by human activities.
DEFORESTATION
The forest is the only home for the Great Philippine Eagle. It is where they obtain food, reproduce, and nourish their offspring. Unfortunately, illegal logging and irresponsible use of resources have resulted to the disappearance of their forest habitat that brings deathly consequences to the species.
SHOOTING
At least one Philippine eagle is killed every year because of shooting. As more of our forest is lost, Philippine eagles go farther and farther from their usual hunting grounds in search for preys to hunt. This usually brings them towards human settlements and their livestock, which often results to conflict-with the Philippine eagle on the losing end.
WHY SAVE THE PHILIPPINE EAGLE
The fate of our eagles, the forests and our children’s future are inextricably linked. Saving the Philippine eagle means protecting the next generation of Filipinos.
FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
As the species on top of the food chain, the Philippine eagle has a crucial role to play in keeping the gentle balance of the ecosystem in check. It helps naturally regulate species population and provide an umbrella of protection to all other life forms in its territory. An abundant Philippine Eagle population means signifies a healthy forest.
A HERITAGE
This rare and majestic bird species can be found nowhere else but in the Philippines. Losing the species to extinction would also mean the world losing a precious biological heritage.
LIVELIHOOD
Ensuring the safety of the Philippine eagle population in the upland areas can result to additional source of income for the marginalized communities sharing the forest with the eagles through our biodiversity-friendly initiatives. These projects are funded to strengthen conservation efforts in areas where Philippine Eagles occur.
CULTURAL IMPACT
Conservation efforts also bring positive cultural outcomes to many indigenous communities in the upland areas. The Philippine eagle is embedded in the oral histories and other cultural artifacts of several indigenous groups in the country. This indicates that it performs a role in the human production of unique cultures.
WHAT ARE WE DOING TO SAVE THE PHILIPPINE EAGLE?
We combine scientific research and methods with cultural knowledge and practices to create a holistic approach to conserving the species. We work with local communities and different organizations to maximize our operations, in-situ and ex-situ.