DAVAO CITY – A recent US study showed that the endangered Philippine eagle is one of a kind because of its unique evolutionary history and DNA makeup.
The study, conducted by Dr. David Mindell of the University of Michigan, established comparisons among the giant birds of prey in the world such as the harpy and crested eagles from the Americas and New Guinea and the serpent eagle of Asia.
“The DNA study shows the uniqueness and rarity of the Philippine eagle,” Jason Ibañez, field research coordinator for the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF), said of Mindell’s study.
Ibañez said other experts reaffirmed Mindell’s DNA findings on the Philippine eagle, which are now in the scientific journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
“Mindell’s study definitely would not save the Philippine eagle overnight but it can be another compelling reason why the bird needs to be saved,” PEF executive director Dennis Salvador said.
Mindell’s study indicated that the Philippine eagle is not directly related to the other giant raptors, as previously been thought of in scientific circles, although it is almost as large and as heavy as the other raptor species.
Ibañez said Mindell’s findings point to the snake eagle of Southeast Asia and Africa as a distant relative of the Philippine eagle. In the Philippines, the giant raptor is distantly related to the equally imposing serpent eagle, which could also be found in other parts of Asia.
Ibañez explained that the findings should prompt Filipinos to exert greater effort in protecting the Philippine eagle, which replaced the maya in 1995 as the country’s national bird.
The non-profit PEF runs the Philippine Eagle Center here in Barangay Malagos, Calinan district.
Aside from its captive breeding program, the PEF is also into massive community education and information campaign especially in areas considered to be natural habitats of the Philippine eagle.
At present, there are only at least 500 pairs of Philippine eagles, including those still in captivity. There are 30 Philippine eagles bred in captivity at the Malagos eagle center and two birds are kept at the University of the Philippines Los Baños campus in Los Baños, Laguna.
Ibañez said the Philippine eagle population is in a critical situation because of deforestation and hunting. “The future of our national bird remains bleak,” Ibañez said.