Philippine Eagle

Pithecophaga jefferyi

One of the rarest of the world’s birds of prey, the Philippine eagle is in a precarious situation. Its small and rapidly declining population is threatened by forest destruction and fragmentation. The Philippine eagle is a flagship species for wildlife conservation on four of the Philippine group of islands. Predictions of its imminent extinction have been made since the 1960s, but the species hangs on in the face of immense odds. Conservationists believe that most of the population is equally distributed between the large islands of Luzon and Mindanao (an estimated 105 pairs), while the smaller islands of Samar and Leyte house only an estimated eight pairs between them. However, these figures are based mostly on forest-cover data, and more precise information on numbers is not available. The Philippine eagle is a huge and powerful predator. It waits on a perch high in the rain forest canopy, looking and listening for the slightest movement or sound that betrays prey beneath. Its relatively short, rounded wings and long tail equip it for weaving deftly among the trees. It often begins a hunt at the top of a hillside and works its way down; it starts the process again when it reaches the bottom. The Philippine eagle was once known as the monkey-eating eagle. Although it eats various species of monkey, it more often feeds on two cat-sized mammals: the flying lemur and the palm civet. It is likely that the eagle is also an opportunistic hunter, taking different prey according to its availability and abundance. Each pair hunts in a large territory of about 23 to 38 square miles (60 to 100 sq. km). As in other eagle species, the pairs mate for life.

Lost Forest

As with so many other animal species, the main threat facing the Philippine eagle is the relentless destruction of its habitat. Every year some of the remaining primary forest on the islands is felled for timber: The great dipterocarp (tall hardwood) trees growing there are a major source of tropical timber for the rest of the world. When the loggers leave, settlers who practice “slash-and-burn” cultivation frequently move in. Slash-and-burn agriculture produces poor-quality, weed-infested grassland with bamboo or other scrub in place of a rich forest and is of little value to the eagles.

With the increasing numbers of people moving into the forests, it is probable that only 3,560 square miles (9,220 sq. km) of forest remain. Even national parks are severely affected; in Mount Apo National Park, for instance, over 50 percent of the original forest has disappeared. Other threats facing the Philippine eagle include hunting by local people for food or trophies and, until recently, the capture of young for sale to zoos and the cage-bird trade. Plans for mining operations have also caused concern. There is evidence that the eagles accumulate pesticides from their prey in their body, a factor that is likely to affect their breeding success-a serious problem in a species that produces only one young every two years, at most.

Last Hope

Over the past 30 to 40 years various conservation initiatives have been launched to assure the future of the Philippine eagle. Plans include protective legislation, surveys, captive breeding, public awareness programs, and a sustainable agriculture project designed to improve conditions for both eagles and local people. However, relatively little is still known of the bird’s ecology, and the work has been hampered at intervals by natural disasters and serious political unrest, as well as by the difficult nature of the remote habitats the eagle favors.

The Philippine eagle perches high up in the rainforest canopy, watching for prey. Plans for its conservation include a campaign to foster national pride in the bird. If duct is successful, the eagle may yet avoid extinction in the wild.

Philippine eagle (monkey eating eagle)
Pithecophaga jefferyi

• Family: Accipitridae
• World population: 350-650 birds; possibly only 226 mature adults
• Distribution: Philippine islands of Luzon, Leyte, Mindanao, and Samar
• Breeding: Female lays 1 white egg m huge stick nest high in canopy of tall tree, usually on an epiphytic fern (one that grows on another plant). Both sexes incubate for about 9 weeks; eaglet fledges after about 5 months; remains dependent on parents for another year or more
• Habitat: Primary dipterocarp (hardwood) rain forest on steep slopes; sometimes lives among secondary growth and gallery forest along riverbanks and floodplains. Occurs from the lowlands to 5,900 ft (1,800 m)
• Related endangered species: New Guinea harpy eagle (Harpyopsis novaeguineae); harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja)
• Size: Length: 34-40 in (86-102 cm); wingspan: about 6.5 ft (2 m). Weight: 10.3-17.6 Ib (4.7-8 kg)
• Form: Huge eagle with large, arched, powerfully hooked blue bill. Dark area around eyes (which have pale blue-gray irises) contrasts with buff crown and nape; long, spiky, black-streaked feathers form scruffy crest; cheeks, throat, underparts, and underwings white; upperparts and upperwings dark brown; legs and feet yellow
• Diet: Tree-dwelling mammals such as flying lemurs, palm civets, monkeys, and flying squirrels; also tree-dwelling birds, including hornbills, owls, and hawks; bats, monitor lizards, and snakes

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