Ogilvie-Grant exhibited specimens of several interesting birds from the island of Samar, amongst which the following appeared to be new to science: Pithecophaga jefferyi”, followed by a very detailed description. He named the bird in a paper published in the 1896 issue of Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club that starts with the words: “Mr. William Robert Ogilvie-Grant (1863-1924) was a British ornithologist who provided the scientific name of the Philippine Eagle. Its scientific name- Pithecophaga jefferyi-was also a testament to the misconception ( pithecophaga means monkey-eater while jefferyi stands for Whitehead’s father Jeffery). So aside from helping in the conservation efforts of this majestic animal, it is also imperative we should get to know about its interesting history here in the Philippines.Īlso Read: Top 10 Endangered Philippine BirdsĪlthough it is believed to have inhabited the archipelago for a long time, the eagle’s existence only came to light when English explorer/ornithologist John Whitehead first saw a specimen in Paranas, Samar on June 15, 1896.Īfter a dissected specimen yielded undigested monkey parts and because the natives testified that it fed exclusively on monkeys, the newly-discovered animal came to be known as the Philippine monkey-eating eagle. One of the largest raptors in the world, the eagle-which happens to be our very own national bird-is also one of most critically endangered avians, with an estimated 400 pairs of them left in the wild.
![philippine eagle philippine eagle](https://static.mothership.sg/1/2019/05/Philippine-Eagle-Pic-3.jpg)
MINGAN infographics on our Facebook page: Facebook.Few animals endemic to the Philippines can evoke as much awe as our very own Philippine eagle. Mingan by liking and sharing our HARI NG MT. Learn more about the Philippine Eagles of Mt. Perhaps we can begin doing so this Philippine Week, June 4-10, and beyond. The real challenge is educating people from all walks of life about the importance of Philippine Eagles, forests and biodiversity and instilling a sense of responsibility to protect our natural resources. The conservation of Philippine Eagles does not stop at declaring Critical Habitats, producing plans and monitoring forests. Mingan ahead of other sites in conserving the Philippine Eagles of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range. Mingan are scheduled to convene and discuss the formulation of their respective Critical Habitat Management Plans (CHMPs) and the training and deputation of Wildlife Enforcement Officers (WEO) for forest protection. Gabaldon paved the way by issuing an ordinance declaring 19,000 hectares of forests as a Critical Habitat while Dingalan and San Luis are in the process of following suit. Mingan is now on its way to becoming a network of Critical Habitats for the protection of Philippine Eagles. The information that will be gathered through these surveys will be used to develop specific conservation measures for the Mingan Mountains. Subsequently, field surveys are also scheduled to verify other reported Philippine Eagle sightings all over Mt. Mingan’s biological and socio-economic importance to local communities surrounding it. Social surveys are being conducted to learn more about Mt. One of the identified priority interventions to protect the forests of Mingan is its declaration as a Critical Habitat (CH) for the protection and conservation of Philippine Eagles.įlash-forward to 2015, the plans developed in the previous year are now coming to fruition.
![philippine eagle philippine eagle](https://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large-5/3-philippine-eagle-pithecophaga-jefferyi-michael-runkel.jpg)
Mingan namely Gabaldon, Dingalan, and San Luis, with the help of the Haribon Foundation and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) developed plans for the conservation of the mountain range. The municipal local governments surrounding Mt.
![philippine eagle philippine eagle](https://animalscene.ph/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/PhilEagle2.png)
Not a moment was wasted to protect Philippine Eagles after their discovery in Mt. Though the journey was difficult, the challenging trek did pay off as we were able to confirm the presence of a juvenile and a pair of adult Haring Ibon (King of Birds or Philippine Eagles) in the Mingan Mountains. Traversing the steep slopes and narrow paths of the mountain while carrying fragile equipment such as binoculars, spotting scopes, DSLR cameras, and telephoto lenses on top of camping equipment and a week’s worth of food supplies was nothing short of an achievement in itself. Mingan in search for Philippine Eagles ( Pithecophaga jefferyi). Which is fitting because it was almost a year ago when my team and I trekked the ridges and valleys of Mt. From Luzon to Mindanao the Philippine Eagle will be highlighted by various NGOs and conservation efforts from June 4-10 for Philippine Eagle Week.