Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga Jefferyi) is the world’s largest species of eagle that is alive today. It is also one of the rarest birds in the world.
On top of its head, there are brown woolly tuft of feathers called crest. It has yellowish-white to brown-colored crown and dark brown from the back. The color of its plumage is red. The beak is grayish-blue in color and the wings underneath are all-white. It has yellow and powerful legs. The color of its eyes are bluish-gray.
It can grow up to a length range of 86 to 102 centimeters and weighs around 10 to 17.6 pounds. Its wingspan is 184 to 220 centimeters long. The bill is up to 7.2 centimeters long.
It has a lifespan of 30 to 60 years.
A female Philippine e
agle reaches maturity at the age of 5 years while male becomes mature at 7 years. Mating occurs in July.
A female eagle lays 1 egg and incubates its egg for 62 days. At the age of 4 to 5 months, the chick begins to fledge. The pair continues to nourish their eaglet for 20 months. The size of its nest is 4.9 feet across and the eagle nests at an elevation of 98 feet high.
The philippine eagle is distributed around the islands of Philippines. It inhabits islands of Mindanao, Luzon, Leyte and Samar. Mindanao is home to the largest number of philippine eagles.
It occupies lowland areas as well as steep regions. The philippine eagle perches at an altitude of 5,900 feet.
It is an opportunistic predator. The diet of this eagle consists of small bats, Philippine brown deer, Philippine colugo, fruit bats, monkeys, northern Luzon giant cloud rat and birds. In reptiles, it likes to prey on lizards and snakes. Occasionally, it also attacks small pigs and dogs.
Other Names: Monkey-eating eagle, Great philippine eagle
