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Scientific Name: Pithecophaga jefreyii
Habitat: Lowland to mountainous forests
Characteristics: Endemic and one of the most endangered species in the world, hunts from within the canopy from perches
The Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) is one of the two largest eagles in the world. It ranks second to
the Harpy eagle of Central and South America, but only in regards to weight (averaging 8.0 kgs. vs. 9.0 kgs) and smaller feet
and legs. It is undoubtedly the tallest, and holds the world record for wingspan in any eagle.
Early in the 1960's, Filipino biologist (Dioscoro) Rabor alerted the world that this magnificent bird was in serious danger
of extinction. Eagles were found on only four of the 1,700 islands of the Philippine Archipelago. A handful of birds were
reported on Leyte and Samar, with the majority on the islands of Luzon and Mindanao.
From the very beginning of the studies that soon followed, it became clear to all concerned that the major culprit in the
rapid decline in numbers was deforestation. When the rainforests that the eagles lived in disappeared, so did the eagles.
Originally 94% of the Philippines was covered in lush tropical rainforests. After World War II, this fell to 40%. Current
estimates place the figures at 25% (some say even 18%). This represents a 55% loss from 1950 to 1991. Rainforests continue
to be cut at the astonishing rate of 170,000 hectares a year. At this rate, if it continues, experts predict the rainforests
will be completely gone by the end of the century. No forests-no eagles.
As bleak as the future appears to be for the Philippine eagle a single but steady ray of hope shines from the city of Davao-on
the southern most island of Mindanao. The Philippines eagle is the other species most at risk from deforestation. In the 1930s,
an estimated 10,000 eagles were soaring over the forests. Due to deforestation, there are only 63 left, 16 are in captivity,
and 47 have been spotted in the wild. This monkey-eating eagle is not found anywhere else in the world. The Philippines eagle
is one of the world's biggest, with a wing span of 7 feet, and generally weighs from 5 kg to 9 kg. It eats monkey, lemurs,
bats and snakes. It talons have a grip three times stronger than man's and it can break a monkeyþs neck or crush a snake's
skull with ease. Attempts to breed the eagle in captivity have been successful, and the Philippines Eagle Foundation has hope
that the species will be saved.
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