Text and Photos by Henrylito D. Tacio
If the endangered Philippine eagle could only speak, these are the words the bird would be telling us:
“I have watched forests disappear, rivers dry up, floods ravage the soil, droughts spawn uncontrolled fires, hundreds of my forest friends vanish forever and men leave the land because it was no longer productive. I am witness to the earth becoming arid. I know all life will eventually suffer and die if this onslaught continues.”
Are you listening? Like those “forest friends” that vanished forever, the Philippine eagle may soon join them. In 2010, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Bird Life International listed this species as critically endangered. Today, only about 180 to 500 birds survive.
Massive deforestation has turned the Philippine eagle into an endangered species, deplored Dennis Joseph I. Salvador, the executive director of the Davao-based Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF), a non-profit, non-stock organization acknowledged to be the leader in raptor and wildlife management in the country today.
The Philippine eagle lives in dipterocarp and mid-montane forests, particularly in steep areas. Its elevation ranges from the lowlands to mountains of over 5,900 feet. Only an estimated 9,220 square kilometers of old-growth forest remain in the bird’s range. However, its total estimated range is about 146,000 square kilometers.
“Tropical forest raptors like the Philippine eagle have been greatly impacted by habitat destruction. Reduced territory size, declining numbers of prey animals, and disappearance of large nesting trees all have contributed to the eagle’s decline,” noted Craig Kasnoff, a journalist who promotes the plight of endangered species and the efforts to save them.
“By using the Philippine eagle as the focal point of conservation, we are, in the process, saving wildlife and their habitat,” said Salvador of PEF, which has embarked on a captive breeding program since the 1980s, succeeding in January 1992 with the birth of Pag-asa.
Pag-asa is the first tropical eagle born in captivity. “Pag-asa connotes hope for the continued survival of the Philippine eagle, hope that if people get together for the cause of the Philippine eagle, it shall not be doomed to die,” Salvador said.
Although PEF’s conservation breeding program continues to improve and succeed, it is “only a scanty step in the long process of restocking eagle population” for it is necessary to renew the forest habitat before artificially-bred eagles can be released in the wild.
“If time will come that we have enough stocks, where shall we release them?” Salvador asked. “And how will the eagles sighted in the wild survive if factors which threaten their lives continue to haunt them?”
During the Independence Day celebration last June 12, an eagle named Pamana which underwent rehabilitation in Malagos, was released inside the Mount Hamiguitan World Heritage site in Davao Oriental.
“Pamana was rehabilitated by the PEF for three years after suffering from gunshot wounds in Mt. Gabunan, Iligan,” wrote Jon Joaquin, Edge Davao’s managing editor. “Its reintroduction to Mt. Hamiguitan is expected to contribute to the increase and improvement of the eagle population once it finds a mate and breeds.”
The Philippine eagle is second only to the Madagascar sea eagle in rarity. In size, it beats the American bald eagle; it is the world’s second largest — after the Harpy eagle of Central and South America.
This bird of prey was first discovered in 1896 by English naturalist John Whitehead in Samar. He first called it the monkey-eating eagle because he thought it fed primarily on monkeys and gave it the scientific name, “Pithecophaga jefferyi.” The scientific name came from two Greek words: “pitekos” (monkey) and “phagien” (to eat). Jefferyi was the discoverer’s tribute to his father, Jeffrey, who funded his expedition.
In 1978, the old name was dropped and given its present name through Presidential Decree No. 1732 after it was learned that monkeys comprise an insignificant portion of the bird’s diet, which consists mostly of flying lemurs, civet cats, bats, rodents, and snakes.
A majestic bird, the Philippine eagle stands a meter high, weighs anywhere from four to seven kilograms and has a grip three times the strength of the strongest man on earth, according to PEF.
With a wingspan of nearly seven feet and a top speed of 80 kilometers per hour, the Philippine eagle can gracefully swoop down on an unsuspecting prey and carry it off without breaking flight.
Unlike men, Philippine eagles are monogamous. Once it has selected a partner, it is for keeps forever. “Once an eagle reaches sexual maturity — at around five years for males — it is bound for life with its mate. They can be seen soaring in pairs in the skies,” PEF states.
According to PEF, the breeding season ranges as early as July to as late as February. During the breeding season, the eagles do aerial courtship and mate in the nest or near it.
The eagle’s nest is approximately 80 feet above the ground (usually on tall trees) in prominent mountain peaks overlooking a river or stream to give a good view of its territory.
The female eagle lays only one egg every two years, PEF informs. Both parents alternately incubate the egg for about 60 days, although the female spends more time incubating while the male hunts.
Upon hatching, the eaglet remains in the nest for about 5.5 months. Once it fledges, the parents will continue to look after the young eagle for as long as 17-18 months teaching it how to fly, hunt, and to survive on its own. The young eagle matures in about six years.
“Our data suggests more than 90% of juvenile eagles die before they reach maturity,” discloses Salvador. “A large part of this is caused by humans. Eagles were shot, trapped, and hunted.”
Because of its rarity and size, the Philippine eagle was once a collector item among bird hunters. “The Philippine eagle became a desirable acquisition for zoos and private collectors, beginning in the 1960s. Collectors stole young eagles from nests for sale to the highest bidder,” Kasnoff wrote.
Efforts to save the Philippine eagles started in 1965 by Jesus A. Alvarez, then director of the autonomous Parks and Wildlife Office, and Dioscoro S. Rabor, another founding father of Philippine Conservation efforts.
American aviator Charles Lindberg, who described Philippine eagle as “the world’s noblest flier,” spearheaded a drive to save the bird from 1969 to 1972. Within this time frame, several helpful laws were passed.
The Philippine eagle was officially declared the country’s bird icon on July 4, 1995 by then President Fidel V. Ramos under Proclamation No. 615. Under Philippine law, killing a Philippine eagle is punishable by 12 years in jail and heavy fines.
The Philippine eagle is endemic to the Philippines and can be found on four major islands: eastern Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao (where the largest number of eagles reside). It can be found in Northern Sierra Madre National Park on Luzon and Mount Apo, Mount Malindang and Mount Kitanglad National Parks on Mindanao.
Salvador — a Spanish family name which means “savior” — urges Filipinos to help save the endangered bird from extinction. “When the last eagle dies, it shall be the sign of the worst yet to come: The death of our environment,” he warned.
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