Olleta, Nestor Jr G.

October 09, 2018

COCM 105 Sir Henry Jocson

PHILIPPINE EAGLE
(Pithecophaga Jefferyi)

The Philippines is compose of over 7,000 islands widely scattered, that is why
the country was blessed with so much natural resources that seems to be the haven of
different kinds of marine and land species including the Haring Ibon. An eagle
symbolizes strong and great power. With its undeniable strength and the ability to
survive into the wild depending only on its capabilities are remarkable.

The Philippine Eagle was considered the largest specie in terms of length
among of all the eagles in the world. It is undoubtedly amazing that this specie of eagle
were only to be found in the Philippines. According to beautyofbirds.com, “Pithecophaga
Jefferyi also known as the Great Philippine Eagle or the Monkey-eating Eagle is among
the tallest, rarest, largest and most powerful birds in the world. A bird of prey belonging
to the family Accipitridae, it is also known as “Haribon” or “Haring Ibon,” which means
“Bird King”. Its local name is banog”. Sadly this magnificent creature was soon to be
outnumbered if people remain destroying its natural habitat and continue hunting them
for food. That is why this paper aims to further know the characteristics of the Great
Philippine Eagle, how do they feed or what is its common diet, the environment they live
in, their counts, the causes of its endangerment and how to save them from extinction
and eventually help them to propagate and reproduce.

The Great Philippine Eagle

Based on the philippineeaglefoundation.org, the eagle’s height was one meter

or 3 feet, its wingspan is two meters or 7 feet and considered broadest in the world. It
has distinct features of having Massive arched beak and long crown feathers and the
only blue-eyed bird of prey in the world, with eyes that can see eight times the distance
than that of humans. Other descriptions of the Philippine eagle as stated from
beautyofbirds.com, its nape is adorned with long brown feathers as if it is like a lion’s
mane, it also has a dark face and a creamy-brown nape and crown. Its back is dark
brown while the underneath is white, its legs are yellow with large and powerful dark
claws while having deep beak is bluish-gray. Basing on the description of this truly
magnificent bird and thinking that there is a possibility of them vanishing soon is a really
great loss not just for the Philippines but also for the whole world. This species of bird is
one of a kind that it can only be found in the Philippines.

The Eagles feed on...

The eagle is called the monkey-eating eagle for a reason that monkeys’
particularly a species of macaques that is to be found in some parts of Asia is part of its
diet. Also considered part of its diet were flying lemurs specifically in Mindanao region,
Palm Civets a small cat-like arboreal which is native from South East Asia, as well as
other small animals including snakes, monitor lizards, hornbills and owls.
beautyofbirds.com also stated that there are some reports of this eagle capturing young
pigs and small dogs. But it is estimated that 90% of its diet were flying lemurs. Giving
the following foods that they feed on it will become hard for them to survive and live long
if deforestations and other existing destructions of natural forests are being tolerated.

The environment they live in and their Numbers

These huge birds can only be found on four major islands in the Philippines and
that is according to Valdeavilla (2018) and beautyofbirds.com. The islands were Eastern
Luzon, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao which most numbers of the eagles resides on it,
with between 82 and 233 breeding pairs. Mount Apo and Mount Kitanglad National
Parks are the two main havens for the great eagles that can be found in Mindanao
region. While it is said that only 6 pairs are found in Samar, 2 in Leyte and a few in
Luzon which can be trace in Northern Sierra Madre National Park. The eagle can only
be found in mid-mountain forests specifically in steeps areas. But a lot of forests in the
Philippines are being destroyed continuously by means of illegal logging and finally
turning it into mine sites which eventually causes soil erosions that can lead to
permanently lost of forest which is the home for this magnificent birds.
beautyofbirds.com says that these birds were dominant hunters in Philippine forests and
it requires a large home range of up 25 to 55 square miles to be able to successfully
raise a chick and in that case this species are very vulnerable to the non-stop
deforestations. According to the Philippine Eagle Foundation it is estimated that only
400 remaining pairs of its population are in the wild. It is really alarming that the
remaining numbers of its population are still being hunted by locals or being affected by
the ongoing loss of the remaining forests of the Philippines which is their habitat.

The causes of its Endangerment

As stated by beautyofbirds.com, the life expectancy of a wild eagle is estimated

to be anywhere from 30-60 years. And its breeding cycle lasts for two years the females
are sexually matured at five years of age while the males at seven. This type of eagle is
monogamous, meaning once paired, a couple remains for the rest of their lives. But if
one dies the other will surely finds a new pair to replace the one lost. This means that it
is hard to reproduce another hatchling because of the eagle’s unique cycle of
reproduction. If the egg fails to hatch or the chick dies early it will take another year for
the parents to lay a new egg. That is the one reasons of why it is important for the eagle
to have the forests to be untouched by humans. In that case they can reproduce freely
and can even avoid the irresponsible use of the natural forests. According to
cdulturetrip.com, deforestation is usually the cause of the eagles’ death aside from
shooting and trapping them. Another reason for the endangerment of this bird is that
pollution makes them vulnerable. Being at the top of the food chain they are easily
attached by the toxins such as pesticides, (bagheera.com). In addition the young eagles
are being stolen for private collectors and for zoos and sale into the highest bidder. This
act is still present up until this day.

How to save the Philippine Eagle and help them to Propagate

A lot of conservation actions to help and save them are being implemented.
bagheera.com, says that hunting and trade of the Philippine Eagles are now prohibited.
One of the greatest threats to its survival is the continued loss of tropical forests, and
selective logging method should be employed to protect the large nesting trees and
leave sufficient tracts of undisturbed forests to support eagles. beautyofbirds.com
mentioned that the 2018 Red List listed this as critically endangered. That’s why further
actions are being implemented to help save and restore its original counts. As provided
by the Philippine Eagle Foundation, legislations of the Philippine Eagles and Policies/
Prohibitions are being implemented by the Philippine Government.
 REFERENCES USED

Beauty of birds (2018, Oct.08). Philippine Eagle [Web log post]. Retrieved Oct. 09,
2018, from http://www.beautyofbirds.com/philippineeagles.html

Valdeavilla, R. (2018, Jan 03). Philippine Eagle: 11 Facts About The Philippines’
National Bird [Web log post]. Retrieved Oct. 09, 2018, from http://theculturetrip.com/
asia/philippines/articles/philippine-eagle-11-facts-about-the-philippines-national-bird/

Kasnoff, C. PHILIPPINE MONKEY-EATING EAGLE AN ENDANGERED SPECIES [Web

log post]. Retrieved Oct. 09, 2018, from http://www.bagheera.com/inthewild/
van_anim_phleagle.htm

The Philippine Eagle [Web log post]. Retrieved Oct. 09, 2018, from http://
www.philippineeaglefoundation.org/the-philippine-eagle