INTERESTING BIRDS IN THE PHILIPPINES

BIRDS IN THE PHILIPPINES

The Rufous Hornbill (Buceros hydrocorax), also known as Philippine Hornbill and, locally, as Kalaw (pronounced kah-lau) is a large species of hornbill endemic to the Philippines, where it occurs in primary, mature secondary and disturbed forests on 11 islands: Luzon and Marinduque (race hydrocorax), Samar, Leyte, Bohol, Panaon, Biliran, Calicoan and Buad (race semigaleatus), Dinagat, Siargao, Mindanao (plus Balut, Bucas and Talicud) and Basilan (race mindanensis)

Half the endemic species of bird in the Philippines are endangered. Between 1961 and 1998, more than 40 percent of the bird species from Mt. Isarog lowland forest on Luzon vanished, even though the mountain is a national park. Half the 14 birds on Cebu are extinct. The four-colored flowerpecker was not been seen for decades and was thought to be extinct because it habitats in Cebu was gone. Then a small patch of forest was found with flowpeckers in it. But new species are being discovered. Lina's sunbird is a species first collected in 1965 but misidentified as a known species and recognized as a new species in 1997.

The Philippines is home to some of the world's most exotic birds. Many species such as the Philippine eagle are found nowhere else in the world. One of the most endangered species is the exotic Kalangay or the Philippine cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia), which belongs to Psittacidae or the family of parrots. Some cockatoos can live up to 50 years. They are known for mimicking human voices. Most of them measure 33 centimeters in length and weigh 0.29 kilogram.

The Calayan rail is a species of bird discovered in the early 2010s on the small island of Calayan in the northern Philippines. the only place where it is found. It looks sort of like a blackbird but can’t fly and has a bright orange beak. Its closet relative is the Okinawa rail. British and Filipino researchers identified the Calayan Rail as a new bird species during the Babuyan Islands Expedition on on Calayan island, which surveyed the region's birds, mammals and amphibians. Locally known as the Piding, the Calayan Rail inhabits lowland forest and has dark plumage contrasted by bright red legs and a red bill. Its loud, harsh, rasping calls also helped researchers distinguish it from other birds in the area. The species has a small and restricted population and is particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and introduced predators. Flightless rails are among the most threatened groups of birds; 18 of the 20 living flightless rail species were considered threatened at the time of the discovery, while numerous other rail species had become extinct since 1600. [Source: UPI, August 17, 2014]

Hornbills Found in the Philippines

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The Palawan hornbill (Anthracoceros marchei) is a black bird with distinctive white tail feathers. Its head-and-body length is about 55 to 65 centimeters (22 to 26 inches), and it weighs approximately 601 to 713 grams (1.3 to 1.6 pounds). It inhabits primary and secondary forests but also occurs in mangrove swamps and cultivated areas. The wild population is estimated at about 2,500 to 10,000 individuals.

The Palwan hornbill has a white beak and casque which looks as if it has been dipped in chalk. It survives only on Palawan. It feeds mainly on fruit, which it carries in a pouch in its throat and later regurgitates, dispersing seeds that may germinate away from the parent tree. It generally occurs in pairs or small groups and nests in cavities in tall trees. Habitat loss and the removal of large trees can reduce suitable nesting sites. The species is also threatened by poaching, while its eggs may be collected for food or the illegal pet trade.

The Visayan wrinkled hornbill (Rhabdotorrhinus waldeni) is endemic to the Western Visayas islands of Negros and Panay in the Philippines. It can reach about 65 centimeters (26 inches) in length and has a distinctive yellow tail, yellowish head and red bill. Males can weigh up to about 1,200 grams (2.6 pounds), while females weigh up to about 800 grams (1.8 pounds). Like other hornbills, it nests in cavities in trees, with the nesting site protected by the surrounding vegetation and tree structure. The species is considered critically endangered, with an estimated 120 to 160 individuals remaining in the wild, and its population continues to decline.

The Walden’s hornbill has a yellow face, orange casque and red bill. It is found only on the islands of Panay and Negros. It may be close to extinction.

Philippine Eagle

With a wing span of over two meters, the Philippine eagle is the second largest eagle in world, and one of the rarest. The Harpy eagle of South America is the largest. The Philippine eagle used be called the "monkey eating eagle" but Ferdinand Marcos found the term "monkey eating" to be denigrating so he proclaimed in 1978 that from then on the bird would to be known as the Philippine Eagle in part to promote national pride. In 1995, it replaced the maya, a sparrow, as the national bird. The eagle is found on only three islands, with the largest number on Mindanao.

The great birds of prey of the rain forest—the Harpy eagle, the crowned eagle of Africa and the Philippine eagle— are remarkably similar. All have large crests, and broad relatively short wings with long tails, which allow them to maneuver through the trees. They build a large, platform nest of twigs which they reuse season after season and usually raise a single offspring that stays with the parents for about a year. One unique feature of the Philippine eagle is its blue eyes, a rarity among raptors. Both sexes raise their crests. Their large size is due in part to they fact they evolved without competition from big cats and other large predators.

Mel White wrote in National Geographic, “Exactly how big a hole would be left by the loss of the Philippine eagle? The loss of this glorious bird would steal some of the world's wonder. It glides through its sole habitat, the rain forests of the Philippines, powerful wings spread to seven feet, navigating the tangled canopy with unexpected precision. It is possible that no one has ever described this rare raptor, one of the world's largest, without using the word "magnificent." If there are those who did, then heaven heal their souls. [Source: Mel White, National Geographic, February 2008]

See Separate Article: PHILIPPINE EAGLE: CHARACTERISTICS, BEHAVIOR AND REPRODUCTION factsanddetails.com

New Species of 'Ventriloquist' Bird Found in the Philippines

Researchers from the University of Kansas and other institutions identified the Sierra Madre Ground-Warbler as a distinct bird species from Luzon Island in the Philippines. The species was described in 2013 in the journal The Condor. It is a small, ground-dwelling songbird found in dense forest understory in northern Luzon. [Source: University of Kansas, September 4, 2013]

The Sierra Madre Ground-Warbler belongs to a group of unusual birds known as ground-warblers, which are found only in the northern Philippines and have no close relatives outside the group. They have rounded bodies, strong legs and relatively weak wings, and spend much of their time walking on the forest floor. They feed mainly on insects and appear to have limited flying ability.

One of the bird's most distinctive characteristics is its song. Its call is extremely high-pitched and has a ventriloquial quality, making it difficult to determine where the sound originates. Birds can appear to be calling from a considerable distance even when they are close to an observer. The Sierra Madre Ground-Warbler closely resembles the other 2 recognized Philippine ground-warblers in size, body shape and juvenile plumage. Adult birds, however, differ in coloration. Researchers initially could not determine whether the differences between birds from the Sierra Madre and Cordillera regions represented normal variation within a single species or indicated separate species.

DNA analysis provided important evidence that the Sierra Madre and Cordillera populations were genetically distinct. Researchers found that their DNA was highly divergent, with differences comparable to those separating the Sierra Madre birds from the Bicol Ground-Warbler of southern Luzon. Field observations, plumage differences and genetic evidence were combined to establish the Sierra Madre Ground-Warbler as a separate species.

The bird was found during field surveys in forests of northern Luzon, including Mount Cagua, an active volcano with thermal vents and mud pots. Researchers conducted surveys from temporary forest camps, documenting birds and other organisms in remote areas of the Philippines. “When we noted the different plumage coloration between adult birds in the Cordillera and the Sierra Madre in northern Luzon, we sequenced DNA to determine if the plumage differences were individual variation within a species, or if the two plumage forms were also genetically diagnosable,” University of Kansas biologist Pete Hosner said. “We found that Cordillera and Sierra Madre birds were highly divergent in their DNA, almost as different as the distinctive Bicol Ground-Warbler in southern Luzon." [Source: mongabay.com, September 18, 2013]

New Flightless Bird Found in the Philippines in 2004

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In August 2004, scientists announced they had found a new species of flightless bird on Calayan Island in the Philippines, the conservation group BirdLife International said. The rare find is dramatic because flightless birds on small islands are especially vulnerable to human activities. The crow-size bird has a bright red beak and legs and dark plumage. [Source: ENS, August 17, 2004]

ENS reported: “In May, Carmela Espanola was walking in the forest on a remote island in the northern Philippines when she saw a small group of unfamiliar dark brown birds with distinctive orange-red bills and legs in underbrush near a stream. Then she saw two more of the birds cross the trail and begin turning over dried leaves with their bills. Her notes, photographs, and recordings of their loud, rasping calls showed that the species was new to science. A biologist, Espanola was part of a team of Filipino and British wildlife researchers surveying the birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians of the Babuyan Islands. She discovered the bird in lowland forest on the island of Calayan, and so the team named the new species the Calayan rail. It belongs to the family Rallidae, which includes rails, gullinules and coots, many of which are migratory birds, but the Calayan rail is flightless, or nearly so. Its scientific name is Gallirallus calayanensis.

Over the next several days, the Babuyan Islands Expedition team saw adult and juvenile birds within a two kilometer range of their rainforest camp, and estimated there are 100 to 200 pairs in the area. The sightings were made in forest with coralline limestone outcrops, caves and small streams. The team took photographs and video footage of the birds in the wild, and of one young female in the hand, together with detailed measurements. The species has lived undiscovered on Calayan for at least a century. Calayan was last visited by ornithologists 100 years ago, in 1903-04.

The Calayan rail is a relative of the internationally familiar moorhen, its bright red beak and legs contrasting with its dark plumage. Although they are not thought to be under immediate threat, the development of roads on the island may lead to new settlements, resulting in loss of habitat. Construction has already started on one road around the edge of Calayan island and another linking that road to the center of the island. Roads bring the introduction of predators such as cats and rats, the research team says. Such alien predators have been implicated in the majority of flightless rail extinctions. Eighteen of the 20 living species of flightless rails are considered threatened, and the majority of rail species that have become extinct since 1600 were also flightless.

I felt sure the Babuyan Islands would hold some interesting discoveries, but I didn’t expect to find a totally new species,said Genevieve Broad, the co-leader of the expedition. I’m thrilled for the team. I hope this will bring the recognition these islands deserve as an important site of biological diversity.” Josh Cole of the Rufford Small Grant committee, who provided funding for the expedition, said, ?We are delighted that our involvement in funding conservation work on the island has helped in such a significant scientific discovery.’

Getting Pictures of Rare Dwarf Kingfisher Babies

The South Philippine dwarf kingfisher (Ceyx mindanensis) is a small and elusive bird found in the forests of the southern Philippines. In 2020, Dr. Miguel David De Leon, a vitreoretinal surgeon in Mindanao, photographed a fledgling of the species, producing what was described at the time as the first known photograph of a young bird. De Leon had spent more than 3 years trying to photograph the species before obtaining the image on March 11, 2020. After working a full morning at a medical center, he traveled about an hour uphill carrying his camera and entered a bird hide. A fledgling estimated to be about 3 weeks old appeared on a branch and remained visible for approximately 10 minutes. [Source: Cara Giaimo, New York Times, April 3, 2020]

The young kingfisher displayed the pastel coloring characteristic of the species and had a distinctive black bill. De Leon described the encounter by saying, "I was so, so thrilled," and added, "I felt like my chest would explode." The photograph was significant because relatively little was known about the species, including the appearance and development of its young. The Philippines has at least 255 bird species that are endemic to the country, but many remain poorly documented. Photographs of rarely observed species can provide information useful for identifying individuals and studying their behavior and development.

De Leon founded the Robert S. Kennedy Bird Conservancy in 2017, naming the organization after the author of a major regional bird guide. The group consisted of 8 members, none of whom were professional ornithologists; its members included an artist, a military strategist and 2 pilots. The group focused on documenting Philippine birds through extended field observations and photography. Its members constructed temporary bird hides from bamboo, palm fronds and banana leaves, usually near nests, and attempted to remain inside them from sunrise to sunset. De Leon said the group stopped its observations if the presence of observers appeared to alter the birds' behavior.

The group's observations have also contributed to knowledge of the South Philippine dwarf kingfisher's ecology. In 2017, De Leon and colleagues published research on its diet based on years of observing adults carrying food to nests. Their observations showed that the birds eat substantial numbers of skinks and do not rely on fish, despite being kingfishers. The species is difficult to observe because it often remains motionless on a perch before moving rapidly and apparently disappearing from view. Fledglings can be even more difficult to follow because they may move rapidly away from the nest after leaving it.

De Leon hoped that photographs of fledglings would help researchers document changes in plumage as young birds mature and improve estimates of their ages in the field. The photographs also helped introduce the species to a wider Philippine audience, many of whom were unfamiliar with the bird. Images shared through social media increased public awareness of the country's endemic birdlife and could support conservation efforts by drawing attention to poorly known species. The conservancy was also conducting observations of about a dozen other rarely seen Philippine birds. De Leon summarized the scale of the work by saying, "There is just so much to know about Philippine birds," adding, "Way too much for even a lifetime."

Vanishing Philippines Wetlands Threatens Arctic Bird Migration

In 2009, AFP reported: “Black-crowned night herons take off to roost at sunrise as the day shift arrives for a feeding frenzy at the Candaba marsh in the Philippines. Thirty years ago the marshes covered some 32,000 hectares (79,000 acres) but thanks to the spread of agriculture and urbanisation just 72 hectares remain. Today, ornithologists count some 12,000 birds a day — a fraction of the number three decades ago. "In the 1980s they would routinely count 100,000 wild Philippine ducks and mainland Asian garganays (wild ducks) in one day, just for the two species," said Michael Lu, president of Wild Bird Club of the Philippines. [Source: AFP, February 12, 2009 \^/]

“Among the 50 or so wetland areas in the Philippines, the Candaba swamps — covered in reeds and water hyacinths and bisected by high earthen levees — are a key staging ground for birds ranging from huge purple herons to tiny Arctic warblers that return to continental Asia in the spring. They had flown several thousand kilometres (miles) south months earlier, just before the winter. But as the swamp has shrunk so too of course has the supply of fish, snails, insects and other food. What remains is hemmed in by rice paddies and communities that raise hogs and domesticated ducks. \^/

“The honking transients jostle each other on a huge fishpond owned by Candaba town mayor Jerry Pelayo, who has earned his environmental spurs by setting aside half the property for the seasonal visitors. "This is the only place that remains as habitat for the birds," said Carmela Espanola, a wildlife biologist for the University of the Philippines. "A lot of the wetlands are under threat because people keep reclaiming them," Lu said. Since the area is all titled property, if owners drain the swamp the habitat would disappear and there is nothing the government could do, Lu said.

“The Philippines situation is also unique in that a lot of people still hunt wild birds, Lu said. Candaba farmhand August Sombillo used to belong to these ranks. The 38-year-old father of six told AFP he used to hunt snipes that strayed into the six hectares of rice paddies he tends nearby. The great winter migration coincides with the only time of the year that the marshwater ebbs low enough to allow rice planting. The meat of the pointy-beaked wading birds was a key protein source for his family who subsist on his annual share of the grain produce that adds up to less than 100 bags of unmilled rice. \^/

“But the mayor has banned the trapping of birds, unilaterally declaring the marsh a protected area and asking restaurants in surrounding towns to stop serving wildlife dishes. Pelayo said he has also asked hog farmers upstream not to dispose of pig waste in streams that empty into the swamp. The environment department, which conducts an annual census here, said there had been some good news with the endangered black-faced spoonbill and the rarely seen pied avocet returning this year after a three-year absence. \^/

“However the main trend is toward a decline. "The big ones like the spot-billed pelican used to come here in Candaba," Espanola told AFP. "There used to be cranes and woolly-necked storks, but they have been extirpated in the Philippines." The decline mirrors the status of birds endemic to the country — of the 593 birds found in the Philippines, 181 are indigenous. Of these, 25 are considered endangered, half of them critically. \^/

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; National Geographic, Live Science, Natural History magazine, David Attenborough books, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The New Yorker, Library of Congress, Philippines Department of Tourism, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, Top Secret Animal Attack Files website and various books and other publications.

Last updated August 2026