Pithecophaga jeffereyi
The Philippine eagle, Pithecophaga jeffereyi, is the national bird of the Philippines. It is called by different names: Haribon (king of birds), monkey-eating eagle, and banog (a local name). It is only found (endemic) in four Philippine islands, namely, Samar, Leyte, Luzon, and Mindanao. It is among the rarest and critically endangered species of raptors in the world.
It holds the title as the world’s largest eagle in terms of length. An adult female Philippine eagle has 3.36 ft average length while the shorter male adult has 3 ft average length. Although their wings are shorter compared to Steller’s Sea eagle, Wedge-tailed eagle, and Martial eagle, they are broader and have the largest surface area necessary for powerful flights. Average weight for the female is 7 kg while for the female is 5 kg.
Other characteristics of the Philippine eagle include a dark face, creamy-brown crown and nape, brown back, white under wings and underside, yellow heavy legs, powerful dark claws, blue-gray eyes, and bluish-gray deep beak. The bird can live 40 to 60 years in the wild. There is this belief saying that the Philippine eagle has a shorter life span in the wild than in captivity.
The Philippine eagle lives in lowland and mountainous forests. It was thought that the eagle only eats monkey (the reason why it was originally called monkey-eating eagle) but later on it was determined the it also eats small mammals, lizards, snakes, and smaller birds.
Deforestation is the major cause of endangerment of Philippine eagle because it destroys the bird’s natural habitat. The thousand hectares of forest that once used by the eagles to hunt for food and grow their young was lost due to intensive logging and slash-and-burn farming. The lost of habitat equals lost of food and starvation for the eagles. It also eliminates the tall trees used to build bests in and raise young.
Because of its rarity and astounding size, the Philippine eagle has been collected for zoos and private collectors at an expensive price. Some people even steal young eagles straight from their nests for sale to bird collectors.
Pollution is another cause of endangerment for the Philippine eagle. The preys of the eagle eat foods contaminated with pesticides and toxic heavy metals which accumulate in their bodies over time. When the eagle eats its preys, the pesticides and heavy metals also accumulate in its body. A time will come that the toxic compounds reach a concentration or amount that is already fatal to the bird.