- The Philippine eagle has been declared threatened with extinction for nearly three decades, but little is definitely known about its range and its wild population.
- Using satellite images, decades of georeferenced nest locations, and data from citizen scientists, a team of researchers identified 2.86 million hectares (7.07 million acres) of forest suitable for the eagles, which they estimate host around 392 breeding pairs.
- Only 32% of the identified habitats fall within the Philippines’ current protected area network, prompting researchers to call for stronger protection measures for the endemic raptor.
The Philippine eagle, the archipelagic nation’s iconic, endemic apex predator, has been declared threatened with extinction for nearly three decades. Yet despite its status as the national bird, little is definitively known about the extent of the raptor’s range and its numbers in the wild.
A recent study published in the journal Animal Conservation is trying to change that, raising hope among conservationists who are racing against time to save this keystone, and critically endangered, species.
Scientists from nonprofits The Peregrine Fund (TPF) and the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) identified a total of 2.86 million hectares (7.07 million acres) of forest habitat suitable for the Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), which they estimate host around 392 breeding pairs. This new global population estimate is higher than previous estimates of 340 pairs in 2018 and 88-221 pairs in 1989.
“The new study renewed our hope that we can improve the conditions of our imperiled national symbol within our lifetime,” paper co-author and PEF research and conservation director Jayson Ibañez told Mongabay in an instant message.
BANNER IMAGE: The Philippine eagle, an endemic apex predator in the Philippines, has been declared threatened with extinction for nearly three decades. Image by Klaus Nigge / PEF.
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