Wild pair of Philippine Eagles spotted in Bukidnon

 

DAVAO CITY – A wild and untagged pair of Philippine Eagles was spotted somewhere in the hinterlands of Bukidnon province.

By Keith Bacongco

Published Aug 16, 2025 11:32 pm

The Philippine Eagle Foundation said they were the first confirmed sighting in nearly two decades.

The pair was sighted last week but the PEF did not disclose their exact location for their safety.

“This remarkable rediscovery happened within the Buhita (Bukidnon Higaonon Tribal Association) ancestral domain,” the PEF said.

The PEF added that they were soaring mutually, which is an indication of a graceful courtship ritual where two lifelong partners glide side by side. “Together, they mark their territory while reaffirming their bond. It’s a beautiful and powerful dance in the sky, signaling that a new nesting season may be on the horizon.”

PEF Director for Operations Dr. Jayson Ibañez said that the last time a pair of eagles and their eaglet were validated by PEF and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) within the Buhita ancestral domain was in 1996.

“And succeeding annual checks detected only single birds, until monitoring efforts stopped because of security and personnel safety issues,” Ibañez said.

He said that the sighting was due to the month-long expedition of a composite team of PEF, DENR, and local volunteers.

The seasoned PEF conservationist said that the expedition was launched following the increased reports of eagle sightings.

“The old nest used in 1996 was still standing but appeared abandoned. The team did daily observations until they detected the eagle pair in an elegant aerial courtship display within the last week of the expedition.”

This most recent confirmed sighting brings the number of pairs to at least 21 in Bukidnon, which is the home to the highest number of eagle pairs in the country, Ibañez said.

He added that the provincial government has passed an ordinance declaring the Philippine Eagle as their flagship species and allotting funding for their conservation.

The province is one of the focused areas of the PEF in their conservation program.

Ibañez attributed the success of the expedition to the combination of indigenous knowledge and the customary rules of Buhita members.

He acknowledged the efforts of the Buhita ancestral domain leaders and elders to keep their forests intact that have benefited wildlife and people.

“We’ve always suspected that a pair may still thrive in the area because it remained intact across the years. The results of the expedition have once and for all validated that suspicion,” Ibañez said.

According to the PEF, a pair of Philippine Eagle needs about 4,000 to 11,000 hectares of forest land to thrive in the wild, depending on the number of prey items in the area.

The PEF credited the rediscovery of the critically-endangered bird to the Buhita trail masters, forest guards, PEF biologists and monitoring staff, and the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO)-Valencia team.

“This is a good sign that despite everything, our Philippine Eagles are finding ways to survive in the wild. Let’s make sure to do our part in helping them thrive,” the PEF said.