Endangered monkey eagle hatched in the Philippines

A monkey eagle has hatched in captivity in the Philippines, aiding the critically endangered giant bird’s fight against extinction. Found only in the Philippines’ fast-disappearing tropical rainforests, the bird of prey, about a meter long, got its name from its diet of macaques and other small animals that share its habitat on Mindanao, the country’s southern main island. The chick, which hatched at a conservation center on Dec. 7, was the first in two years and the 26th in 23 years, said Anna Mae Sumaya, curator of the Philippine Eagle Foundation. The “very active” youngster is barely a week old but can already lift its head and respond to bird calls, Sumaya said. “This chick will make it.” The bird, also called the Philippine Eagle, is famous for its elongated neck feathers that form a shaggy crest. Its two-meter wingspan makes it one of the world’s largest eagles. “This gives us hope that we can somehow supplement the Philippine eagle population,” Sumaya told AFP. The bird of prey is found only in the Philippines, where it is the country’s national bird. There are about 600 monkey eagles in the wild and 34 more, including the juvenile, are kept in huge cages at the center. The Switzerland-based International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the species as “critically endangered” due to hunting and habitat destruction. According to the foundation, nine out of 10 Philippine eagle casualties are caused by firearms. It has also warned that it is running out of safe places to release the captive-bred birds when they reach maturity. The monogamous eagles breed only once a year, with each pair producing just one egg per mating season. There are four breeding pairs at the conservation center. Two other eggs laid during this year’s mating season were infertile and did not hatch, Sumaya said.