The Conservation of the World's Rarest Bird of Prey, the Philippine Eagle
80Some facts about the Philippine Eagle
- It has the longest wingspan among any birds in the world which could surpass 8 feet in length.
- It is regarded as the tallest eagle
- Its scientific name is Pithecophaga jefferyi.
- It is being conserved by the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF).
- It is the rarest eagle in the world.
- It is the second largest eagle next only to Harpy Eagle which is found in the Americas.
Pictures or Images of the Philippine Eagle
This week's HubMob will certainly be a blast for many Hubbers!
Facing extinction few decades ago PEF made a turnaround to preserve this mighty animals.
If the American Bald Eagle is the symbol of United States' free-wheeling and vibrant democracy, the Philippines has its own emblem for her national sovereignty and freedom as well. The mighty Philippine eagle, swift, agile and a ferocious predator is indeed one of the most fascinating of its kind in the world. Regarded as the second largest worldwide, the Philippine Eagle is also dubbed as Philippine Monkey-Eating Eagle (the eagle's diet is not primarily monkey, it also stalks on small mammals, other birds, snakes and pythons) and fondly called Haribon by local folks. The Philippine Eagle which is considered to be one of the finest gliders in the open air is also reputed to be the rarest. However, this majestic yet humble creatures are critically endangered as their numbers is rapidly dwindling down, no thanks to the loss of their habitat due to development in rural areas that spurs progress and illegal logging that results to the denudation of the forests in the country. Although protected by the government, problems like hunting for its meat and illegal poaching continues to be a bane in the conservation efforts of these consummate predators. Their population is reducing at an alarming rate then, but thank goodness, there is the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) to the rescue which is based in the Philippine Eagle Center in Malagos, Baguio District, Davao City which is near to the magnificent and hot tourist spot destination the Mount Apo, the highest mountain in the country.
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For more than 15 years of painstaking research and sheer perseverance, the PEF is now an expert in the breeding, hatching and rearing process of the Philippine Eagle. The captive-breeding also endeavors to release some of these rare birds in the wild.
The first captive-bred Philippine Eagle that was hatched and reared in this program includes Pag-asa who just celebrated its 18th hatch day (not birthday, this is a bird :D) last January 15, 2010. Pag-asa whose meaning is hope in local vernacular got enough national attention and interests from the very day it hatched out from its shells until now. Pag-asa which its name suggests, truly brought home hope and joy to the entire nation for it is the product of captive breeding whose objective is to preserve their kind and help them stave off extinction.
Dr. James Grier, one of the stalwarts in Philippine Eagle research programs stated that little is known about the Philippine Eagle outside of the Mindanao archipelago as he said, " Eagles in Luzon, Samar, Leyte and some parts in Mindanao, have not been studied so far, but we know there has been some sightings." True enough, four more Philippine Eagle were sighted in Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park from 2003 to 2005.
Dr. Grier also said, "The PEF has made significant advance in several fronts with the eagle and rainforest conservation. Their integrated approach work with the wild birds, conservation, breeding, socio-economic and education programs. They are working with other groups and spreading their expertise and knowledge with these trainings (provided to participants in the preservation of the Philippine Eagle)."
In April 2005, fourteen of the 18 captive-bred eagles survived including a chick which hatched very weak and almost succumbed to death. After enduring the treacherous task of coming off its shell, the chick lived miraculously and one year later it is pronounced healthy by the PEF staffs.
But a sad fate happened, just a week before Pag-asa celebrated its 13th hatch day, Kabayan another captive-bred eagle was electrocuted at the PEF Sanctuary in Mount Apo when it was released in the wild as a part of the conservation program. Kabayan was named after the monicker of Vice President Noli de Castro, which means compatriot. The remains of this unfortunate bird of prey was stuffed and made into a statue.
All in all, the PEF accomplishments in taking good care of these wonderful creatures are astounding and truly inspiring. With their unparalleled efforts, now the majestic Philippine Eagle has a good chance of averting extinction
My mighty thirteenth hub in the HubChallenge.
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The Conservation of the World's Rarest Bird of Prey, the Philippine Eagle
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A video of the fascinating Philippine Eagle. Video from YouTube.
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CommentsLoading...
The Philippine eagle is the world's largest eagle in terms of physical dimensions meaning- Tallest, longest eagle from tip of the bill to the longest tail feathers (112 cm) 102 cm on ave; with the largest wing surface area among ALL the living eagles, largest sharp powerful beak almost 3 times the size of Harpy eagles beak.
Steller's sea eagle is the world's heaviest eagle averaging 15 - 20 lbs there was a one female gorge itself with salmon which tips the scale at 28 lb.
Copy David thanks for the correction... But the Philippine is the second largest...
quote-"It is the second largest eagle next only to Harpy Eagle which is found in Europe."-unquote
The Harpy eagle, Philippine eagle and Steller's sea eagle are considered the 3 largest eagles in the world (in no particular order) as they varies in other measurements such height, length, weight and wingspan.
Correction: Harpy eagles are found in Central and South america NOT in Europe.
Whoa, thanks for the splendid remarks... thanks a lot of the visit though!
its good that our goverment is aware of conserving our great natural wealth.i've read an article in national geographic magazine and they feature philippines flora and fauna and it's a shame that they mentioned there that pilipinos are having a difficult desicion on conservation or starvation that our wild life ends up on a plate.thanks to you and to the organization this magnifecent animal of ours is now facing a bright future keep up the good work mabuhay kayong lahat.
This has to be one of the most stunning birds I have ever seen. At first I thought the bird on the video was not even real it was so beautiful! It is so disturbing to me the animals that are decreasing in numbers because of humans and lost habitat. These beautiful creatures all need to be preserved! Excellent hub! Rated uP!
@PegCole17 -thanks a lot too for visiting.
A great success story about this lovely bird. So good to know they're making a comeback thanks to the PEF. What a majestic creature.
@Lita - thanks a lot for the splendid comment.
@Cindy, lovely and DAL - I appreciate your encouraging words.
Poor Kabayan was a celebrity in its time, my school children practically watched it grow in our lessons. It's so unfortunate that it died that way. Very educational hub.
Awsome Hub! What a beautiful bird!
Thanks for showing us this beautiful bird. Let's hope they survive!
Great hub, thankfully people such as yourself are ready to make others aware of the conservation requirements of many species. I really enjoyed the way your hub was written and the fantastic opportunity to see the eagle on the video. Thanks for sharing it with us
Thanks a lot ken and springboard.
@ spring since you mentioned about the Bald Eagle feel free to read this one http://hubpages.com/hub/Fascinating-Animal-Behavio and http://hubpages.com/hub/Fascinating-Animal-Tactics these hubs contains info this wonderful eagle.
Whoa, thanks a lot my dear pdh... I hope you all the best... My Adsense is okay now I just fixed it...
HEY GH congrats I posted a forum for you, 400 Fans, congrats
hey GH, always a good hub and for the one who love his country so much, salute PROF. , hope your adsense is alright soon??, Maita
I have to tell you I've never seen or even heard of these birds. They are as amazing as their American counterparts to be sure.
Great hub. Thank you for the education.
Eagles all around the world are threatened including in my country. thanks to the conservations which preserve the bird existence.
Yeah thanks a lot for the visit my friend!
Wow, GH! I really enjoyed learning so much about the Philippine Eagle. I remember that for a long time, you used a similar pic as your avatar. I hope that the conservation efforts of such a magnificent animal (not to mention the symbol of Filipino independence) succeeds. Great HubMob Hub, my friend!
@ ralwus - I am very glad I came across with you HubPages "Lover Boy" nyahahaha, take care too always Buddy.
@ Sufi - yeah that will certainly be a hit and many Hubbers will surely benefit from that. Actually I did scan some of your hubs (I'm not thoroughly reading most hubs I open, just skim them because I am very busy doing my work tasks and articles in our websites, most of the time I just bookmark them and give thumbs up when necessary) and I find them very detailed and they are indeed explosive. It was a shame I you read this hub not proofread yet sigh... I am sloppy at my words especially when I just publish a Hub.
BTW you are certified elite Hubber hehehe you are regularly featured and you always score 100, a tough act to follow indeed, keep Hubbing Sufi many Hubbers, like and love your works.
Thanks for that, GH - it is nice to spread some Hublove and kind words. I am not sure if I am elite - more like a lingering smell that will not go away!
Don't listen to the Ralwus - he is delightfully modest and is a truly a gentleman and a scholar :D
I hope to get that Hub about freelance writing finished in the next couple of days, so I will give you a shout when it is ready!
Take it easy :)
I am so honored to know you somewhat my friend. You take care now, and thanks. God bless.
Yeah you and Sufi my friend, scores in paper is irrelevant, your being amiable and very good in human relations is a big plus Buddy in HP and you have that. well I am good at this but not as good as you, though. You are on top of the list of hubbers I admire most, like dohn, emie, pdh, even Mark, sufi, dolores, Patty Inglish, UW and many many more Buddy.
What?! Elite? Maybe Sufi, but certainly not I. You are in a better ranking than me buddy. Don't you forget it! I'm just cut from a different cloth. Moth eaten at that. LOL You did good here.
Oh boy two elite and great hubbers commenting in my hub one after the other... Thanks a lot Sufi and ralwus wow, I am truly elated with your encouraging words.
What a fantastic Hub, GH - I love birds of prey and knew very little about this magnificent eagle.
Well done for publicizing this and I wish you and the conservation teams the best of luck in preserving the habitat of the bird. It would be a shame to lose it forever.
Thumbs up!
Great hub my friend. I am avid birder and know of this wonderful bird. My hope is that it can be brought back some day to its proper numbers. I hate what we have done to our forests and wildlife. Thanks buddy.
britishbirdlover 9 months ago
Fascinating hub and so important to save these beautiful majestic birds.