As an ordinary bloke with no formal training in biology, I’ve always wanted—perhaps unreasonably—a clear answer to this question.
But it seems that no one knows—or at least, no one is reckless enough to hazard an answer. Why is this? I figured the history of the struggle to conserve the Philippine Eagle has its fair share of acrimonious debates. There is just too much at stake in this matter which has led people to be very circumspect.
On the few occasions that I’ve managed to buttonhole a conservationist to ask him about the number of eagles in the wild, the reception I invariably got was a look of patient concern, like that of a long-suffering parent to a rash, impertinent child.
Am I being unreasonable?
On more than one occasion, I was lectured on how the exact number doesn’t matter. The important think is that everyone agrees on the Eagle falling under the category of Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List. This List is a criteria used to determine extinction risk and set numerical thresholds for qualification for the three globally threatened categories. These are based on factors including rate of decline, population size, area of geographic distribution, and degree of population and distribution fragmentation. But at this point my eyes had glazed over.
Turning to books, I encounter the usual hesitation to pin a number. In “Threatened Birds of the Philippines” (1999, Bookmark) by Nigel G. Collar etal, the section on Population begins with these grave words:
“Attempts at articulating a fully reasoned estimate of population size in the Philippine Eagle have persistently been compromised by the absence of solid data on its density and the extent of its habitat, and by an understandable but perhaps over-cautious reluctance to accept or even attempt extrapolations using data that appear to overturn the traditional view of its great rarity based on field encounter rates.”
After this caveat, the authors (God bless them!) proceed—in herculean proportions—to detail the history of population studies and assessments done on the Philippine Eagle. From early estimates of Mindanao populations which varied between 600-1,900 pairs in 1910, to 225-450 pairs in 1992, these make for fascinating reading, especially for the Philippine Eagle enthusiast.
No doubt about it, this book is a very important document in Philippine bidoversity! But I must admit that the onslaught of numbers and figures leave me bewildered and feeling hopeless.
Among the 65 species in the book, the discussion on the Philippine Eagle is the most exhaustive, and I remember, while he was with Haribon Foundation, Neil Aldrin D. Mallari, one of the co-authors, say that for editorial purposes, they had to trim the Eagle discussion. This attests to the fact that so much documentation is available about Philippine Eagle studies, and yet, so much vital information remains to be uncovered.
Looking for more answers, I turned to the website of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines to get a look at their country bird records—since its inception the club has collated first-hand reports of local and visiting birdwatchers. The online records of the WBCP go back only to 2003 and accepted Philippine Eagle observations total only ten (2006 and 2007 records have not yet been uploaded).
Of the ten reports, nine are from Mindanao and four are from the same locality, Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park. The only one recorded outside of Mindanao was of a rescued Eagle in General Nakar, Quezon, that suffered from a gunshot wound.
Ten records in three years! Encountering such low numbers made me yearn for the rigorously derived estimates listed in Collar etal. I’m starting to understand this Critically Endangered tag.
Finally, after trawling cyberspace for information and considering the various answers, I hit upon BirdLife International’s (2007) Species factsheet: Pithecophaga jefferyi which indicates population estimate as 226, with population trend as decreasing.
I have to write that again to keep it in mind: 226. Decreasing.
As an antidote perhaps to all the mention of extrapolations and variances, I visit the website of birder Don Roberson where he listed the Philippine Eagle as the Best Bird of The World (outpointing such outlandish beauties as the Wilson’s Bird-of-Paradise and the Horned Guan). In his site, Roberson recounts his journey to Dalwangan, Bukidnon, in 1990 along with guide Tim Fisher. It’s a fascinating account that brings to focus all the facts and figures that scientists and conservationists have so painstakingly collected so that we can get a better understanding of the Eagle’s condition in the wild.
Only to have impertinent laymen like me childishly demand a number.
Do you think it is ever possible to come up with an exact count of the Eagles in the wild for the entire country? Just a thought.
Pwede siguro but expensive. DENR ought to do it (sila lang ang may manpower to do it), but its going to require a lot of creativity and commitment on the highest levels of the department–which could be too much to ask from them. In the end, baka mas maganda kung private sector ang magiging spearhead (something like PEF).
there are only 80 pairs counted, including those in captivity. data based on the mindanao survey conducted a few years back…
eagle research for luzon is still ongoing… funds are still insufficient..we are still awaiting for a nest to be verified to start a full blast eagle research.
DENR (unfortunately) doesnt have manpower to do it nor the technology or the financial capacity for eagle conservation research. we have already conducted two trainings in Davao for DENR staff to accompany us in most eagle surveys. but the expertise is still with PEF and other wildlife biologists fr various NGOs.
for more questions..try visiting PEFs website.
[…] and started hunting themselves. Given the dwindling numbers of Philippine Eagles in the wild, as described by Mads, I could not have imagined that predation by hornbills could have even been one of the probable […]
hi mayie: thanks for info! much appreciated. btw, would you know who .o contact about the eagle in samar? local guide, etc. i’m interested in looking for the eagle there one of these days.
Hey Mads, try going to the Samar Island Biodiversity Foundation based in Catbalogan, Samar. I’m sure they know and can even recommend local guides there who can help you look for the Philippine Eagle. Or if you can contact JC Gonzalez or Boying Fernandez, they can probably give you the names of some local guides who’ve gone with them during the biological surveys they’ve conducted there some few years back. I remember one local guide there named Manong Blas who lives in San Jose de Buan, an interior town in Samar Province, who helped us map and climb up on Mt. Huraw. I believe he was the same guide who went with JC’s team before.
It’s really sad that there are only 80 of them. I am a bird lover and practise bird watching and I would really like to see Philippine eagles but after I read this article this may not happen because in few years there won’t be any eagle of this kind.
2 Philippine eagles spotted in Leyte forest
By Vicente Labro
Visayas Bureau
Last updated 06:54pm (Mla time) 07/19/2007
TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — Finally, the majestic Philippine Eagle is back in the forests of Leyte after it disappeared in the past three decades.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=77631
Philippine Eagle found nesting in Zamboanga Norte.
PEF Executive Director Dennis Salvador. said the eagle couple at Linay is the 25th pair currently known in Mindanao.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/zam/2007/08/11/life/philippine.eagle.found.nesting.in.zamboanga.norte.html
As we were driving towards Guian, Samar (past Marabut) last November 2007, we spotted a Philippine Eagle feeding on the empty road. As our car approached, it looked at us for a few seconds then flew away, and because it WAS a Philippine Eagle, I said to the driver, “that was a Philippine Eagle wasn’t it?” Not quite believing I had just seen one on the road and not in a protected area. You can add that to your list 🙂
agnes, are you from samar or leyte? i am interested on philippine eagles too. there is an ongoing project of the UP Tac and DENR R8 to locate these birds here at leyte and samar. if you have time, we will be glad to here from you.
you may look for:
Dr. Casas @ DNSM, UP Tacloban, Mr. Arni Viojan @ DENR regional office or email me at reyladiao@gmail.com
thanks
matagal ng nagkaroon ng population count ang denr simula pa ng 1993 at patuloy pa. at ito’y pinatutupad sa mga regions ng regional eagle watch teams (rewt) ng (r1,r2, r3, r8, r9, r10, r11, r12, car at caraga)na kasama sa natural distribution of the philippine eagle(mindanao, luzon, samar at leyte)under the philippine raptors coservation program (PRCP) ng pawb na sa ngayon ay pinangungunahan ni ms. angie meniado. sa mga nasabing regions, they have a list of confirmed sightings of the species including the areas where the eagles were observed. i think agnesdv is referring to the capines point area, in my own assessment, sighting of philippine eagle in this area is remote it could had been either of the three (braminy kite, white breasted sea eagle,philippine hawk eagle). and anybody who wants information about the philippine eagle in region 8, please contact the rewt team leader and not just anyone out there who is not connected with the group. salamat sa inyong lahat na may malasakit kay haring-ibon.
hi roughtemple,
what we usually do before conducting eagle surveys is contact the local DENR if they have an Eagle watch team.
get some info especially sightings and locations.
as for my experience it is not that easy to spot or locate phil eagles, surveys take a minimum of on field observation for 10 days, meaning 10 days straight observation only on a designated post. other days are spent travelling, looking for possible posts and perception surveys.
a lot of people have mistakenly identified large raptors as philippine eagles, so most of the info we get is not that accurate.
photos are very important to document sightings… feathers etc.
hi agnesdv,
it is a bit unusual for me to hearing that you spotted a philippine eagle feeding on an empty road… hmmm did you take a photo? can you describe how big and what the bird looks like?
philippine eagles dont usually eat along empty roads or trails.. they take a slice of the meat and take it to their respective nests…
can you tell me more abt this? thanks!
hm.. I was sitting in the front of a CRV and was being a silent ‘backseat’ driver so I was watching the road pretty hard. Roads on those parts are almost always empty. To our right was the sea and to our left was the side of a densely forested mountain. While we were still far, I could see this big thing on the road. A few yards away, the thing turned out to be a bird, and it was the eyes that looked at us for a few seconds that kind of hypnotized me. And then it flew away. Only then did I recognize it as a Philippine Eagle. But as arne said, it could have been any other kind of eagle, I am not an expert on birds. It did look like the Philippine Eagles I see in pictures, in a protected area at DENR8 years ago, and one other place I don’t remember now. Captive birds always seem lifeless to me that’s why they don’t hold the same importance to me as seeing one in the wild. This one I saw had that grandeur, even its flight seemed to hold me in awe. Of course, everything only took a few seconds because it flew when it saw us, and our car was moving at 50kph (it’s a zigzag road).
@wildlifemayie. Sorry, even if I was holding my camera, I didn’t have enough time to turn it on and take a photo. In fact, it never occurred to me to take one until it was gone (I kicked myself for forgetting). I was too captivated in the moment of me and the bird locking eyes 😀 For me, even that moment is still more important than a photo now.
How big it was: I’d rather look at their mugshots than describe birds by their size and color.. the picture in my head is more vivid than my words. (I’ll try to look at photos and tell you which it resembled the most ok?) For now, let’s just say I thought it was a Philippine eagle. But no, I’m not going to insist it was one because I have no expertise on that. What struck me the most were its wings, and the elegant way it took flight. And that it did look like a Philippine eagle.
Sorry guys if this seems like a false alarm.. Oh, it took the dead animal (probably a field rat) with it when it flew away. I could see the tail dangling from its claws.
(anyone wants to contact me about this, my email is agnesdv66@yahoo.com. but i’ve to tell you now, my contribution will not be anything scientific)
hello again,
I’ve just looked at the photos of the braminy kite, white breasted sea eagle, the philippine hawk eagle, and other large raptors, but they didn’t resemble the one i saw. I watched this youtube video of a philippine eagle (raptor) and I can say now it is the same one I saw, even the way it moves is the same. Unless there are still other eagles that have similarities with the phil eagle (pls give me the specific names so i can google them). If you also want to know the specific place I saw it, that one I can’t remember. I just know we had just passed Marabut and it’s in that area where there are dense forests.
This is the video I watched: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqOjD2mmwFo – the eagle I saw looked like this. Thanks..
how many phil.eagles are there in mt.kitanglad range natural park?…
No idea how many.
But there’s one less eagle to look up after…
And PASU Felix Mirasol of the Mt. Kitanglad Range Nature Reserve is not happy. He humbly admitted that there was a failure in the campaign for the protection of the released eagle.
Kagsabua was joyfully released last March, and in barely 4 months, was shot down and feasted on by a local hunter. He hunted for food. Too bad it happened that it was Kagsabua he spotted. I believe that had he known better, he would have targeted another one.
I am 14 yrs old I am concerned to the Philippine Eagle’s population, I wonder can their population increase even though their population can be counted using our mind or even just our fingers.
Yahoo news, placed the Bald Eagle in the spotlight for having one of the largest nest in the bird world at 9.5 feet across (r=1.45m). Made me think, surely the Haring-ibon has a larger nest radius than that. But then, I couldn’t find a suitable study of nest area to make statistically sound.
how many philippine eagles are left that are under the care of the wild life bureau??