It’s sad news. The Philippine Eagle, our national bird, might be gone soon. According to the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF), this majestic raptor could vanish from our forests within the next 50 to 80 years if urgent actions are not taken. That’s alarming, considering that a lot of efforts are being made to increase the eagle’s population.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Philippine eagle as critically endangered since 1994. It can only be found in the Philippines, making its conservation not only a local responsibility but a global concern.
During one of our seminars in Davao, we made time to travel to the PEF center to see the bird in the flesh and learn more about the conservation efforts to prevent its extinction. The efforts of the PEF to breed and reintroduce these birds are commendable, but they alone cannot reverse decades of habitat destruction and human encroachment. Protecting and restoring our forests must be a national priority if we are to give the Philippine Eagle a fighting chance.
The primary threat to the Philippine Eagle is habitat loss. Our forests, once vast and teeming with life, are rapidly disappearing. The country loses approximately 47,000 hectares of forest annually, leaving less than a quarter of its original forest cover. Without dense, undisturbed forests, the eagle has nowhere to nest, hunt, or raise its young. Other threats include alien diseases, and effect of climate change such as successive typhoons and human threats like poaching, trapping, and even shootings.
Making the matter worse is the bird’s dwindling population. Fewer than 400 breeding pairs remain in the wild. Based on the PEF’s study published in 2023, there are only 392 remaining pairs of the raptor left in the wild. This data was obtained by measuring the range of forests available for nesting for the species or are basically habitable for a Philippine eagle. Using satellite images to identify these healthy forests and using tracking data of our Philippine eagles’ movements is how our scientists were able to come up with these results.
In addition to the PEF’s efforts, there was an attempt to breed the Philippine Eagle outside of the country. The Philippine government and PEF sent a pair of Philippine Eagles to Singapore in 2019 for a “breeding loan.” In 2023, however, the male eagle, Geothermica, died because of lung infection.
The Philippine Eagle is one of the largest and most powerful eagles in the world. It is the longest eagle by body length, measuring up to 102 cm (3.35 ft) from beak to tail. It has a wingspan of around 2 to 2.2 meters, and weighs about 6 to 7 kilograms, making it one of the heaviest eagles. Its size and strength make it an apex predator in the Philippine Forest ecosystem. Protecting the eagle means protecting entire ecosystems.
It is time for the government, communities, and every Filipino to act decisively. Strengthened laws, effective enforcement, reforestation, and community involvement are key. The Philippine Eagle is more than a bird—it is a symbol of the country’s identity and a testament to the wild heart of the Philippines.
Let us not wait until it’s too late. The survival of the Philippine Eagle depends on the choices we make today. The call to save this magnificent bird is a call to save a part of ourselves.
