PHILIPPINE
EAGLE (Pithecophaga jefferyi)
Family
Accipitridae: Kites, Hawks, and Eagles
Description:
76 cm. Highly arched, powerful bill. Crown and
crest yellowish with brown shaft streaks;
upperparts rich brown with pale edges to
feathers; tail dark brown with blackish bars and
a white tip; underparts gray white; thighs buffy
with brown shaft stripes. Bill bluish and feet
yellow. Distribution and habits: Very scarce on
Luzon, Mindanao, Samar and Leyte; absent
elsewhere; endemic. Inhabits mountain forests or
the clearings of lowland forest. Soars above the
forest canopy although most of its time is spent
hidden in the forest. Its food consists mostly of
large snakes, hornbills, civet cats, monkeys and
flying lemurs. Nests in large trees on natural
platforms some 30 meters off the ground. In
danger of extinction because of deforestation and
human persecution.
From Birds of
the Philippines by P. C. Gonzales and C. P. Rees,
1988, Haribon Foundation.
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