Philippine Eagle

Philippine eagle
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Philippine eagle
Philippine eagle at the Philippine Eagle
Center, Davao City
Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1) [1]
CITES Appendix I (CITES) [2]

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Subfamily: Perninae
Genus: Pithecophaga
Ogilvie-Grant, 1896
Species: P. jefferyi
Binomial name
Pithecophaga jefferyi
Ogilvie-Grant, 1896
Range in blue
The Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), also known as the monkey-eating

eagle or great Philippine eagle, is a critically endangered species of eagle of the
family Accipitridae which is endemic to forests in the Philippines. It has brown and
white-colored plumage, a shaggy crest, and generally measures 86 to 102 cm (2.82 to
3.35 ft) in length and weighs 4.04 to 8.0 kg (8.9 to 17.6 lb).
The Philippine eagle is considered the largest of the extant eagles in the world in terms
of length and wing surface area, with only Steller's sea eagle and the Harpy eagle being
larger in terms of weight and bulk.[3][4] It has been declared the national bird of the
Philippines.[5][6] The most significant threat to the species is loss of habitat, a result of
high levels of deforestation throughout most of its range.
Killing a Philippine eagle is a criminal offence, punishable by law with up to 12 years
imprisonment and heavy fines.[7]
Taxonomy[edit]
The first European to study the species was the English explorer and naturalist John
Whitehead in 1896, who observed the bird and whose servant, Juan, collected the first
specimen a few weeks later.[8] The skin of the bird was sent to William Robert Ogilvie-
Grant in London in 1896, who initially showed it off in a local restaurant and described
the species a few weeks later.[9]
Upon its scientific discovery, the Philippine eagle was first called the monkey-eating
eagle because of reports from natives of Bonga, Samar, where the species was first
discovered, that it preyed exclusively on monkeys. [10] These reports gave its generic
name, from the Greek pithecus (πίθηκος, "ape” or “monkey") and phagus (-φάγος,
"eater of").[11] The species name commemorates Jeffery Whitehead, the father of John
Whitehead.[9] Later studies revealed, however, that the alleged monkey-eating eagle
also ate other animals, such as colugos, large snakes, monitor lizards, and even large
birds such as Hornbills. This, coupled with the fact that the same name applied to the
African Crowned eagle and the Central and South American Harpy eagle, it was
renamed "Philippine eagle" in a 1978 proclamation by then-President Ferdinand
Marcos.[12] In 1995, it was declared a national emblem under President Fidel V. Ramos.
This species has no recognized subspecies.[13]
It has also been called the ”Great Philippine eagle”. It has numerous names in the
many Philippine languages, including ágila ("eagle", a Spanish loanword), háribon (from
”haring ibón”, "king bird"), and banog ("kite").[5][14]
Evolutionary history[edit]
A 1919 study of the bird’s skeletal features led to the suggestion that the nearest
relative was the Harpy eagle.[15] The species was included in the
subfamily Harpiinae until a 2005 study of DNA sequences which identified them as not
members of the group, finding instead that the nearest relatives are Snake
eagles (Circaetinae), such as the bateleur. The species has subsequently been placed
in the subfamily Circaetinae.[16]
Description[edit]
The Philippine eagle's nape is adorned with long, brown feathers that form a shaggy,
manelike crest. The eagle has a dark face and a creamy-brown nape and crown. The
back of the Philippine eagle is dark brown, while the underside and underwings are
white. The heavy legs are yellow, with large, powerful, dark claws, and the prominent,
large, high-arched, deep beak is a bluish-gray. The eagle's eyes are blue-gray.
Juveniles are similar to adults except their upperpart feathers have pale fringes. [17] The
Philippine eagle is typically reported as measuring 86–102 cm (2 ft 10 in – 3 ft 4 in) in
total length,[4][17][18][19] but a survey of several specimens from some of the largest natural
history collections in the world found the average was 95 cm (3 ft 1 in) for males and
105 cm (3 ft 5 in) for females.[20] Based on the latter measurements, this makes it the
longest extant species of eagle, as the average for the female equals the maximum
reported for the harpy eagle[19] and Steller's sea eagle.[4] The longest Philippine eagle
reported anywhere and the longest eagle outside of the extinct Haast's eagle is
a specimen from Field Museum of Natural History with a length of 112 cm (3 ft 8 in), but
it had been kept in captivity[3] so may not represent the wild individuals due to
differences in the food availability. [21][22]
The level of sexual dimorphism in size is not certain, but the male is believed to be
typically about 10% smaller than the female,[4] and this is supported by the average
length provided for males and females in one source. [20] In many of the other large eagle
species, the size difference between adult females and males can exceed 20%. [4] For
adult Philippine eagles, the complete weight range has been reported as 4.7 to 8.0 kg
(10.4 to 17.6 lb),[4][23][24] while others have found the average was somewhat lower than the
above range would indicate, at 4.5 kg (9.9 lb) for males and 6.0 kg (13.2 lb) for females.
[20]
One male (age not specified) was found to weigh 4.04 kg (8.9 lb).[25] The Philippine
eagle has a wingspan of 184 to 220 cm (6 ft 0 in to 7 ft 3 in) and a wing chord length of
57.4–61.4 cm (22.6–24.2 in).[4][26]
The maximum reported weight is surpassed by two other eagles (the harpy and Steller's
sea eagles) and the wings are shorter than large eagles of open country (such as
the white-tailed eagle, Steller's sea eagle, martial eagle, or wedge-tailed eagle), but are
quite broad.[4] The tarsus of the Philippine eagle ties as the longest of any eagle from
12.2 to 14.5 cm (4.8 to 5.7 in) long, which is about the same length as that of the much
smaller but relatively long-legged New Guinea eagle.[4] The very large but laterally
compressed bill rivals the size of Steller's sea eagle's as the largest bill for an extant
eagle. Its bill averages 7.22 cm (2.84 in) in length from the gape.[3] The tail is fairly long
at 42–45.3 cm (16.5–17.8 in),[4] while another source lists a tail length of 50 cm (20 in).[27]
The most frequently heard noises made by the Philippine eagle are loud, high-pitched
whistles ending with inflections in pitch. [28] Additionally, juveniles have been known to
beg for food by a series of high-pitched calls.[17]

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Philippine eagle

Philippine eagle at the Philippine Eagle

Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1) [1]

CITES Appendix I (CITES) [2]

The Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), also known as the monkey-eating

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