Philippine eagle

The Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), also known as the monkey-eating eagle or great Philippine eagle, is a critically endangered bird of the family Accipitridae. It lives only in forests in the Philippines. This bird is very impressive, with brown and white feathers, a shaggy crest, and measures between 86 to 102 cm (2.82 to 3.35 ft) long, weighing between 4.04 to 8.0 kg (8.9 to 17.6 lb).

The Philippine eagle is one of the largest eagles in the world. Only the Steller's sea eagle and the Harpy eagle are larger. It has been chosen as the national bird of the Philippines and appears on the Philippine one thousand-peso note.

This bird faces serious threats. The biggest danger is the loss of its forest home because of deforestation. The Philippine eagle is one of the most endangered birds in the world, and its numbers are getting smaller. Protecting these birds is very important, and harming a Philippine eagle is against the law.

Names

The Philippine eagle has many names in the languages of the Philippines. In Tagalog, it is called bánoy or ágila, from the Spanish word for eagle. In the Visayan languages, it is known as manaul or manaol. Other names include manaol or garuda in Maranao and Maguindanao, and mam-boogook or malamboogook in other languages. Today, many people call it háribon, which means "bird king." Some of these names are also used for other large eagles.

Taxonomy

The first European to study the Philippine eagle was an explorer named John Whitehead in 1896. He saw the bird, and a sample was sent to London for study.

People once called this bird the monkey-eating eagle because they thought it only ate monkeys. We now know it eats many animals, like snakes and big birds. Because of this, the bird was renamed the Philippine eagle in 1978. It became a symbol of the Philippines in 1995.

Description

The Philippine eagle looks very special with long, brown feathers on its neck that form a shaggy crest. Its face is dark, and its back is dark brown, while the bottom part of its body is white. This eagle has strong yellow legs with big, dark claws, and a powerful, bluish-gray beak. Its eyes are a beautiful blue-gray color.

On average, the Philippine eagle is about 95 cm (3 ft 1 in) tall for males and 105 cm (3 ft 5 in) for females, making it one of the tallest eagles alive today. It has a wingspan of up to 220 cm (7 ft 3 in), though its wings are shorter than some other large eagles that live in open spaces. The eagle makes loud, high-pitched whistles, and young eagles make high-pitched sounds when they want food.

Distribution and habitat

The Philippine eagle lives only in the Philippines, mainly on four big islands: eastern Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao. Most of these eagles are on Mindanao.

These eagles prefer to live in special forests called dipterocarp and mid montane forests, especially in steep areas. They can be found from low lands up to mountains higher than 1,800 m (5,900 ft). Sadly, there is only a small amount of the old forests they need left in their home range.

Ecology and behavior

The Philippine eagle lives in forests in the Philippines. It is the top hunter there. These eagles eat many animals, including birds, reptiles, and small mammals like colugos. They need large forest areas to find food and raise their young, so they are easily affected by deforestation.

Philippine eagles fly quickly and smoothly, like smaller hawks. Young eagles learn by playing, grabbing tree knots with their talons and practicing balance and hunting. In the wild, these eagles can live between 30 to 60 years, though captive birds might live longer.

Conservation

The Philippine eagle is critically endangered. In the past, there were very few of these eagles left in the wild. Today, there are a little more, but they are still rare.

The biggest danger to these eagles is the loss of their forest homes. This happens when forests are cut down for logging, farming, or mining. Pollution and pesticides also harm them.

People have been working to protect the Philippine eagle since 1969. Groups like the Philippine Eagle Foundation help by breeding eagles in safe places and then letting them go back into the wild. Some of these eagles face dangers from humans, but the work to protect them continues. New forests are being guarded to give the eagles a safe place to live. Scientists also study the eagles to learn more about how to help them.

Cultural significance

The Philippine eagle is very important to Filipino culture. In old Bisaya stories, a magical bird called the Manaul helped make the islands by dropping rocks into the sea. This story inspired the name of the Philippine eagle.

The Philippine eagle became the official national bird of the Philippines on July 4, 1995. People love this big, rare bird. It appears on many Philippine stamps, coins, and banknotes. It is also used as a symbol in sports, like in the 2005 Southeast Asian Games in Manila and on the logo of the Philippines men's national basketball team.

Conservation work has helped, and the first successful breeding in captivity happened in 1992 at the Philippine Eagle Foundation in Davao City. By 2025, this place had successfully bred the eagle 31 times.