Inhabiting just four of the 1,700 Philippine islands, the Philippine eagle is one of the two largest eagles in the world, and one of our most Critically Endangered birds of prey. There are around 500 of these magnificent birds remaining in the wild, and their numbers continue to decrease in step with the shrinking tracts of tropical forest they depend on to survive. The majority of Philippine eagles live on the Island of Mindanao, with an undetermined number on Luzon and a few pairs remaining on Samar and Leyte.
Each pair of Philippine eagles needs up to 80 square miles (130km) of hunting territory to feed themselves and their young. As Philippine forests are cut for timber and to make way for development, it becomes increasingly difficult for the birds to meet their space requirements.
The Philippine eagle is also known as the monkey-eating eagle, though its favorite prey animal seems to be the flying lemur, which not only is not a monkey, but is not even a primate. The Philippine eagle has also been known to attack other birds of prey.
Read more about the world’s giant rain forest eagles.