Haring Ibon

by Popoy Castañeda

[Painting by Popoy Castañeda]

[Photos by Norman Bituin]

Oil painting of the Philippines' National Bird, the Philippine Eagle, "Haring Ibon", by Popoy Castañeda

Sunrise comes early on the east facing slopes of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range in Northern Luzon, with the  sun’s rays first illuminating the high ridges, slopes and peaks while the lower valleys and  ravines are still in the shadows, shrouded with morning mist. On one of  the east facing slopes of a major ridge stands a tall Balete tree (Strangler Fig) with  the branches of its lush crown, heavily laden with summer ripened figs. At this early part of the morning the tree was already full of breakfasting fruit-eating birds - fruit pigeons, fruit doves and various species of birds partaking of the feast offered by the tree.

Upslope of the Balete tree is another stately giant, a Dipterocarp, and within the lush crown of this Apitong tree a predator  has hidden herself since daybreak intently watching the frenzied feeding activities on the Balete tree downslope. Its eyes scanning not only the crown of the Balete but the immediate area of the forest canopy.  The predator is not interested on any of the birds feeding on the tree. It is waiting for something more sumptuous and substantial. In a little while the predator’s patience was soon rewarded when all the feeding birds on the Balete suddenly flew off in alarm and  the predator saw what it was waiting for - a troop of about 18 Philippine Macaque monkeys moving with caution along the branches and vines of the  forest canopy towards the fruit laden Balete tree. When the troop reached the crown of the Balete the monkeys’ caution seems to have been forgotten for soon the primates were clambering noisily chattering among the fruit laden branches and started eating the ripe figs ravenously with each individual selecting its particular fruiting branch to feast on.

Up on the Apitong tree the predator readies herself it crouched and tensed its muscles but stayed motionless with only its eyes scanning the activities below. Down at the Balete a fat juvenile female chose this moment to venture out on a jutting branch literally drooping with ripe figs and was soon busy cramming its mouth with fruits. The predator saw its opportunity, spread its wings and launched itself and power dived down to the Balete tree. In a flash it executed a half roll and plucked the hapless monkey from the branch, the  long opposing talons of both legs clutching and piercing the monkey’s vitals instantly killing. The eagle with its prey  flew to a  suitable branch. There with its powerful beak it decapitated it and to lighten its burden eviscerated the monkey and  breakfasted on the entrail. The eagle rested for a moment, then took off for its distant nest where its hungry chick is waiting  guarded by her mate. There at the nest the eagles feasted on the monkey’s meat with the adults taking turns feeding choice morsel of the monkey to the chick.

Surpassed only in size by the South American Harpy Eagle, the Monkey Eating Eagle or Philippine Eagle is the second largest eagle in the world - a beautiful and fierce looking raptor. The bill of the Philippine Eagle is the largest of the Eagle family designed for tearing flesh, its legs the size of a human wrist with talons 3 to 4 inches long adapted for killing and capturing prey  and  has a wingspan of almost 2 meters. The Philippine Eagle, like the Harpy Eagle, is a forest eagle, unlike the American bald Eagle (which is a fish eagle) the Golden Eagle of Europe and the Americas  and the Wedge tailed Eagle of Australia that hunts by soaring continuously. The Philippine Eagle hunts by ambushing its prey from perch patiently and cautiously waiting for a suitable prey they prefer to sit on perches on branches of tall trees overlooking game trails and fruiting trees, they are known to soar occasionally.  

Sometimes the eagles hunt in pairs with one acting as a beater to flush out the prey into the open while the partner awaits hidden in a perch ambushing and killing it once prey comes out in the open. Designed by nature to pursue and capture prey in the rainforest, the Philippine Eagle has broad rounded wings and long tail to enable it to maneuver among the branches and tree trunks within the confines of the rainforest in pursuit of prey.

First reported and discovered to science in 1896 by the English Naturalist John Whitehead in the rainforest of Samar. It was aptly called the Monkey Eating Eagle for then the Philippines land area was more than 70 percent forested. At that period it could be safely assumed that the Philippine Macaque monkey was the most populous of the  mammals of the Philippine Rainforest, so much so that they are considered pests by the people who inhabit and cultivate the lands bordering the forests. The Eagle would have at that time taken the opportunity to feast on the most readily available food prey in the rainforest - monkeys. Being an opportunistic feeder the eagles also feed on flying lemurs (researchers in Mindanao find that it is the eagles current favorite faire), flying squirrels, cloud rats, civet cats, snakes and hornbills. It is claimed by indigenous people living in the forest that it snatches dogs and small deer for food.

But after the Second World War events took place which changed the situation for the eagles, the monkeys and the other Philippine wildlife as well. The development of vaccines to combat Polio and other diseases created a demand for live monkeys. The Philippines was one of the main sources which supplied live monkeys. In the 1950s and 60s the primates were trapped and shipped from the islands by the thousands. Simultaneously in the early 1950s, came  the logging boom. There came a demand for Philippine logs and timber and logging concessions sprung up everywhere, trees were cut indiscriminately and in the aftermath  logging roads became avenues for settlers to intrude into the once impenetrable forests. The settlers came by the thousands and as they slashed and burned the forest, the habitat and the denizens disappeared. Thus the Monkey Eating Eagle not only deprived of its  habitat also was denied most of  its once plentiful food prey and being the opportunistic feeder turned to other more available prey

Photo taken at the Philippine Eagle Center, Davao City - Dec 1990

In the early 1960s the Filipino scientist Professor Dioscoro Rabor who initially studied this beautiful raptor was already alerting the Philippines and the world to the endangerment of the Monkey Eating Eagle. Eventually Charles Lindbergh, the world famous aviator andconservationist, heard and heeded the plea of Professor Rabor. Lindbergh came to the Philippines and drummed up international support for the conservation of the eagle. It did not take long and the band wagon was soon full. Foreign conservationists, scientists filmmakers were flocking into the wilds of Mindanao (it was assumed then that the only living population of Monkey Eating Eagles exist in the rainforests of Mindanao). International funding was immediately available and researches about the eagle was initiated and it was not long before the assumption was made by the researchers that the Monkey Eagles main food prey were not monkeys but flying lemurs and it was not appropriate to call the eagles Monkey Eating (the only problem with this is the question of the main food item of the eagles inhabiting the rainforests of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range in Luzon, since flying lemurs are found only in the forests of Mindanao). However the move to rename the Monkey Eating Eagle pushed thru and thus it was called the Philippine Eagle.

During the incumbency of President Fidel Ramos the Philippine Eagle was named as the National Bird. The move was initiated and championed  by no less than Victor Ramos, UP Beta Sigma Diliman Batch'62A, who was then the incumbent DENR Secretary  Brod.Vic Ramos being the head of DENR (Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources) fought for and defended the move to proclaim the Philippine Eagle our National Bird Symbol against the Maya which at that time was assumed to be the national bird. Thus  the Philippine Eagle, the  King of the Philippine rainforest canopy, the top carnivore of the Philippine rainforest is our National Bird, the “HARING IBON” Currently the Philippine Eagle is not only a bird symbol for the Filipino people but also a symbol for conservation.

But our National Bird is endangered, those big raptors inhabit only the old growth lowland rainforest where they build their nest and breed, although they hunt the upland rainforest and second growth forest for food prey. They pair for life, the couple living in area of 35 to 50 square  kilometers of forested territory. They breed once a year, the female laying a single egg that takes two months to incubate and the young eaglet needs 4 to 5 months before it leaves the nest as a fledgling. Because of the slow rate of reproduction and the need of the eagles for  a wide area of home range, the destruction of our forests remains the greatest threat for the survival of the eagles.

Formerly found in most of the islands in the Philippines, now it is believed that there no more than 30 breeding pairs exist  inhabiting the most inaccessible mountains and forests in Mindanao and in the wilderness of the rugged Sierra Madre Mountains of Northern Luzon.  Right now the Philippine Eagle is the most dramatic and known symbol not only of our nation but also for the conservation of our forest. The eagles’ survival or extinction will be the index of our success or failure of our conservation efforts.

Photo taken at the Philippine Eagle Center, Davao City - Dec 1990

Photo taken at the Philippine Eagle Center, Davao City - July 2006

Photo taken at the Philippine Eagle Center, Davao City - July 2006

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