The Bird King

Grandeur, Beauty and Power – The Philippine Eagle.
The Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) is one of the rarest, largest and most powerful birds in the world. This bird of prey, or raptor, belongs to the family Accipitridae.
The world’s largest bird of prey can only be found in Southeast Asia, specifically in our country the
Locals call it “Haribon” – from the Filipino words “Hari” (king) and “Ibon” (bird) or “Haring Ibon” (Bird King). This raptor’s territory used to cover the whole of the
One of a Kind
The country's national bird, the Philippine Eagle, is one of a kind, not only because it is found nowhere else, but also since it has a unique evolutionary history, clearly distinguishing it from other giant eagles once thought of as its immediate family. At least this is what a recent study of the Philippine Eagles' DNA suggests. Scientists from the
All of the last three giants named are close relatives as revealed by DNA sequences, but only remotely related to the Philippine Eagle. He also said that all of the five traditional "harpy eagle group" members live in tropical forests, feeding mainly on medium-sized mammals. "But based on the genetic analysis, the similarities between the Philippine Eagle and the other harpies resulted not from kinship but from convergent change, driven by natural selection for reproductive success in tropical forests and a shared taste for mammals," Dr. Mindell added. Amazingly, Mindell's team also found that the only distant relatives of Philippine Eagles are snake eagles found elsewhere in Southeast Asia and far
In the
The Philippine Eagle is now known as the National Bird of the
The 2007 IUCN Red List Category (as evaluated by BirdLife International - the official Red List Authority for birds for IUCN) included it as Critically Endangered.
Its numbers have slowly dwindled over the decades with only an estimated 500 pairs left. The Philippine Eagle may soon no longer be found in the wild, unless direct intervention is taken. The Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) of Davao City is one such organization dedicated to the protection and conservation of the Philippine Eagle and its forest habitat. In fact, PEF has been successfully breeding Philippine Eagles in captivity for over a decade now and has also conducted the first experimental release of a captive-bred eagle to the wild. Ongoing research on behavior, ecology and population dynamics is also underway.
The Philippine Eagle is threatened with extinction. Less than 500 pairs of ‘em are left in the wild. The problem isn’t by poaching or illegal wildlife traders this time; as Filipinos guard this national treasure with their lives. The main culprit is the destruction of their habitat which the main culprits are the same ones who guard them. The irony of it all, SO we must preserve our environment in order to save the Philippine Eagle!!
OK I'll be blogging every other day now since I've read in pinoy blogero that I could be choking my readers with too many overwhelming posts (I'll just try this if Like I have that many readers anyway) and also its my midterms next week, so expect me ranting on my Subjects. Enjoy!
http://www.philippineeagle.org/index?pageval=help
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indeed we should all help save our Philippine eagles!
ReplyDeletelets not wait till we ran out of time before we do something. for once we ran out of these eagles we can never bring them back to the ecosystem.