the Philippine eagle is one of the
world’s largest and rarest birds of prey
a critically endangered species fewer
than 900 adults remain on just for
Philippine Islands
a top predator of the forest the eagle’s
hunting range can cover up to 40 square
miles but much of the Philippine forests
have disappeared since the 1600s
due to logging and human encroachment
less than 25% of historical forest
remains conservation groups like the
Philippine Eagle foundation are studying
the Eagles behaviors in an effort to
save the species
it took four weeks of searching seven
filming platforms and five months to
capture this rare intimate look at a
Philippine eagle nest within the
rainforest canopy this young eaglet is
beginning its life under the watchful
care of its parents philippine eagle
pairs mate for life and produce just one
egg every two years both parents work
together to raise the chick sharing the
hunting and feeding duties the parents
deliver meals of snakes birds and
mammals such as flying lemurs several
times per week at around six weeks old
the eaglet is learning new skills by
about two months old it’s soft down is
replaced with feathers and soon it
develops its iconic Mane like crest
now 15 weeks old the eaglet stretches
and flaps its wings practicing for its
first flight eaglets fledge or first
leave the nest around five months of age
but the parents continue providing for
the young for another 18 months the
juvenile takes bigger and bigger leaps
near the nest as it learns to fly
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but not without some tumbles
philippine eagles often reuse their nest
sites each mating season making
deforestation and nesting areas a threat
to the species survival community-based
efforts to protect nesting sites and
enforce poaching laws are showing some
promising results while the philippine
eagle remains critically endangered each
successful fledgling brings new
possibility
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