The Philippine eagle is a rare bird of prey found in the forests of 4 of the Philippines' islands. With an average wingspan of 2m and a height of around 1m, it is among the largest eagles in the world. Due to its imposing size, it even occasionally preys on monkeys, which earned it its previous name "monkey-eating eagle", although its diet mostly consists of smaller mammals, birds and lizards. As an apex predator, it plays an important role in keeping the animal populations in the forest in check.
Like most eagles, this species is monogamous - Pairs stay together for life, only searching for a new partner if the old one dies. Therefore, the choice of mate has to be made with care, requiring a courtship phase that includes aerial maneuvers, mutual talon presentation and presents of food and twigs before the birds decide to partner up.
The pair shares most work and even sometimes hunts together, with one bird distracting the prey while the other one attacks from behind.
Also in terms of reproduction, both male and female eagle equally take part in the required tasks of building the nest, hatching their egg and caring for their young. For two years, they raise their lone offspring until it can survive on its own, at which time the female lays another single egg.
To properly thrive, one Philippine eagle pair needs an area of 40-110 km² of forest as its territory. Therefore, one of the species' biggest threats is deforestation and illegal logging. Their shrinking habitat also leads to increased contact with humans, which often has deadly results: despite the species being under protection, at least one animal is still shot every year.
Nowadays, less than 400 breeding pairs of the animal remain in the wild according to the Philippine Eagle Foundation. The non-profit organisation is taking on the goal of preserving the species, which has been declared the national bird of the Philippines, with a number of campaigns: They educate the public, rescue and rehabilitate injured eagles, have breeding pairs in captivity to augment the population in the wild, help protect and restore the existing forests and monitor known nests. A lot of these tasks are accomplished in direct collaboration with local indigenous groups, as an important approach in the Foundation’s work is culture-based conservation: Since a lot of the species’ habitats are also ancestral domains of indigenous communities, it is vital to include them and their cultural practices and knowledge in the protection efforts.
