One of the 23 eagles on WAnimals
Birds · Accipitriformes · Accipitridae
Philippine Eagle
Pithecophaga jefferyi
It faces an extremely high risk of imminent extinction in the wild. See full glossary
It was originally known as the monkey-eating eagle, a name that proved inaccurate since its diet varies markedly from island to island.
Weight
4 kg – 8.1 kg
Size
76 cm – 1 m
Lifespan
30 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Very hard
Estimated population
Between 250 and 750 mature individuals, spread mainly across Mindanao, Luzon, Samar and Leyte.
Fun facts
- Its slow breeding cycle — one chick every two years, dependent on its parents for up to 17 months — leaves it extremely vulnerable to deforestation.
- It eats colugos, palm civets, small monkeys, snakes and large birds.
- It lives in closed-canopy forest of the Philippine islands, Mindanao above all.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
- Habitat & environment
- Closed-canopy forest of the Philippine islands, Mindanao above all
- Birth weight
- Born helpless and covered in white down
- Size at birth
- Born helpless
- Sexual maturity
- 5-7 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 58-68 days (typically ~62 days)
- Litter / clutch size
- 1 egg per clutch (2 occasionally), breeding every 2 years
- Lifespan in captivity
- Documented record of up to 41 years
Sources consulted: Wikipedia (Philippine eagle); Grokipedia; Baidu Wiki; BirdBuddy Wiki; Active Wild; Animal Kingdom; Birdfact; Animal Diversity Web; Philippine Eagle Foundation; Earth Life; Animalia.bio; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info)
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: All year round on Mindanao; activity at the nest peaks between September and February, during the breeding season.
Where to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Philippine Eagle — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Western Hooded Pitta
Pitta sordida
King Cobra
Ophiophagus hannah
Common Water Monitor
Varanus salvator
Black-winged Kite
Elanus caeruleus
Philippine Tarsier
Tarsius syrichta
Tokay Gecko
Gekko gecko
How to help
The philippine eagle is classified as critically endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 1 real protected area — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about philippine eagle.
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