Endangered Birds

Philippine Eagle-Owl

The Philippine Eagle-Owl (Bubo philippensis) is an vulnerable species ofbird belonging to the Strigidae family. It is endemic to the Philippines, where found in lowland forests on the islands of Catanduanes, Samar, Bohol,Mindanao, Luzon, Leyte and possibly Sibuyan.^[2] It is known locally as the “kuwago” or “bukao”.

There are two subspecies:

• Bubo philippensis philippensis - Luzon and Catanduanes
• Bubo philippensis mindanensis - Mindanao, Leyte, Samar and Bohol. Darker and more heavily streaked than the nominate.

Description

With a total length of 40–50 cm (16–20 in) and a wing-length of about 35 cm (14 in), it is the largest owl in the Philippines, but among the smallest members of the genus Bubo. It is overall rufous with a lighter belly and yellow eyes.

Habitat

This owl inhabits forest edges near streams. They rest in a tree the day and hunts at dusk to feed on small vertebrates. The Philippine Eagle-Owl is the largest in the country.

Behavior

Little is known about the behavior of this secretive species, but the powerful feet suggest it feeds on small mammals and birds.

This eagle-owl lays one egg per clutch and has an incubation period of 35 days.

Breeding in captivity

In December 2005, Negros Forests and Ecological Foundation (NFEFI) inBacolod City was the first conservation center in the world to successfully hatch a Philippine Eagle-Owl (aptly nicknamed Bubo) in captivity and it has the only breeding pair of these owls in captivity anywhere in the world.

On November 21, 2005, conservationists at the center made world history when it successfully bred in captivity a Philippine Eagle-Owl. Notably NFEFI had first secured the first-ever captive breeding loan between DENR-accredited institutions in the Philippines, consisting of three pairs of eagle-owls from the Avilon Montalban Zoological Park in Montalban, Rizal and transported them to Bacolod City in December 2002. Two pairs showed attraction, and the couple “Hinahon” and “Suplada,” -- local term for “calm” and “snob” -- made courtship. It was on November 21, 2005, that an owlet was discovered in the nest, about three days old, and named “Bubo.” As Bubo grew, Suplada taught it how to tear pieces of mouse meat, thus rearing it.

In 2006, Suplada also laid one egg and another owlet was hatched through the aid of the World Owl Trust, Flora and Fauna International-Philippine Biodiversity Conservation program and the Avilon Zoological Park in Montalban Rizal.

Philippine Duck

The Philippine Duck (Anas luzonica) is a large dabbling duck of the genusAnas. It is endemic to the Philippines. As few as 5,000 may remain. Overhunting and habitat loss has contributed to its decline.

It has a black crown, nape and eye stripe, with a cinnamon head and neck. Rest of body is greyish brown with a bright green speculum. Its legs are greyish brown, and its bill is blue grey.

It eats shrimp, fish, insects, and vegetation, and it frequents all types of wetlands.

Walden's Hornbill

The Walden's Hornbill (Aceros waldeni), also known as the Visayan Wrinkled Hornbill, Rufous-headed Hornbill or Writhed-billed Hornbill, is acritically endangered species of hornbill living in the rainforests on the islands of Negros and Panay in the Philippines. It is closely related to theWrithed Hornbill, but can be recognized by the yellow throat and ocular skin in the male, and the blue throat and ocular skin in the female (both throat and ocular skin are deep orange or red in both sexes of the Writhed Hornbill). Its binomial name commemorates the Scottish ornithologistViscount Walden.

Habitat and behaviour

Rainforests with abundant fruit-bearing trees are the natural habitat of these birds. The Rufous-headed Hornbills live in small groups and are noisy. The Rufous-headed Hornbills use natural or carved-out hollows in tree trunks for its nest. As other hornbills, they reproduce very slowly. As lack of appropriate nesting sites is a problem, nest boxes are being attached to tree trunks in certain reserves.

Status

This is a critically endangered species. Rufous-headed Hornbills reproduce very slowly and thus are unable to survive high hunting pressures coupled with heavy logging of the rainforests. It is presumed extinct on Guimaras and now survives only on Negros and Panay. The total population has been estimated at less than 160, though recent work from the Central Panay Mountain Range suggests 600-700 pairs may remain there. No recent figures are available for Negros, where it may be functionally extinct.

Red-vented Cockatoo

The Red-vented Cockatoo, Cacatua haematuropygia, sometimes called the Philippine Cockatoo or Kalangay, is a critically endangeredspecies of cockatoo that is endemic to thePhilippines. It is roughly the size and shape of theTanimbar Corella, but is easily distinguished by the red feathers around the vent.

Description

The plumage is all white with red undertail coverts tipped white, yellowish undertail and pale yellow underwings. It is 12.2 inches long and has an 8.6 inches wingspan.

The Red-vented Cockatoo makes a characteristic bleating call, as well as screeching or whistling noises that are common to most cockatoos. It is quieter than most cockatoos, and much quieter than the Umbrella Cockatoo or Moluccan Cockatoo.

Distribution and status

Red-vented Cockatoos were formerly widely distributed on all larger and many smaller islands of the Philippines, excluding northern and central Luzon.^[1] In the early 1990s the total wild population was estimated at 1000-4000, however, by 2008 this was reduced to probably less than 1000.^[2] Now remnant populations exist on the islands of Palawan, Tawitawi, Mindanao andMasbate. The species stronghold is the Palawan Faunal Region where the Katala Foundation has been running the Philippine Cockatoo Conservation Programme since 1998.^[1] There are around 180 found in wilderness conservation in the municipality of Narra and Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.^[3]

A captive population is bred by Antonio de Dios's Birds International nearManila.^[4]

This bird is critically endangered. Populations have decreased dramatically due to illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade. The high price fetched per bird (c.US$160 in Manila in 1997) means that chicks are taken from virtually every accessible nest. Other contributing factors are loss of coastal habitat and persecution as an agricultural pest.

Behavior

The Red-vented Cockatoo is a social species which roosts, feeds, and flies in noisy groups but during the mating season, from March to July, pairs live apart from the flock.

They feed on seeds, and, to a lesser extent, on fruits, flowers, buds and nectar. The species is very adaptable and even forages on crops, particularly rice, when half-ripe, and corn, hence becoming regarded a pest.