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Our next coin brings us our first entry from the Philippines and one of the most powerful extant dinosaurs in the world: The Philippine Eagle, species name Pithecophaga jefferyi.
In some measures, such as length and wingspan, the Philippine Eagle is the largest eagle in the world. Lengths average 3 ft 1 in for males and 3 ft 5 in for females. Wingspans range from 6 ft 0 in to 7 ft 3 in and weights average 9 pounds for males and 13 pounds for females. Even though the Philippine Eagle is the longest eagle in the world, other eagles often exceed them in weight, the most notable species being the Steller’s Sea Eagle, the Harpy Eagle and some larger female Golden Eagles. The Philippine Eagle is dark brown along its back and on its wings with a white colored underside, a bluish-grey beak and a shaggy mane of brown and white feathers along the back of its head and neck. Geographically, this species in only found in the Philippines and this is a key factor in the species being critically endangered.
The genus name of the Philippine Eagle, Pithecophaga, means “monkey eater” as it was once thought that the Philippine Eagle solely killed and ate monkeys. However, this has been found to be untrue. While they certainly do prey upon monkeys, they also prey upon a much wider range of animals including bats, rodents, smaller birds and other reptiles, canids, felids and even deer. Unlike many other eagles, which are active hunters, the Philippine Eagle is more of an ambush hunter, either hunting by sitting still on a perch or flying between a couple of perches and trying to catch potential prey off guard and dispatch them quickly. It seems to prefer smaller prey that it can kill with a single blow rather than larger prey that it has to fight and prey ride. This is probably because it is of a lighter build than noted prey-riders like the Golden Eagle and Harpy Eagle and it is more likely to be injured in such a struggle.
The breeding cycle of the Philippine Eagle is complex and takes two full years. Philippine Eagles reach maturity at five years of age for females and seven years of age for males. Like other eagles, Philippine Eagles mate for life. Elaborate displays are an important part of maintaining the pair bond and these can include soaring over a nesting territory, the male chasing the female in a diagonal dive, and mutual talon presentation, where the male presents his talons to the female's back and she flips over in midair to present her own talons. Willingness to breed is exhibited by the pair bringing nesting materials to the nesting site. The nests are huge and can be over 4.9 feet across and they are used for multiple years. Breeding season is in July and only one egg is typically produced, though pairs are rarely reported. Both parents incubate the egg for 58 to 68 days, though all of the incubation at night is done by the female. After this, the egg hatches. Both sexes care for the baby, who takes four or five months to fledge. The earliest a Philippine Eagle has been seen making a kill on its own is at 305 days of age. The parents care for the baby eagle for a total of 20 months. This long growth period means that Philippine Eagles can only reproduce every other year, which is making their recovery difficult. Philippine Eagles can live for 60 years and they have no predators.
As is the case with most endangered birds, the reason the Philippine Eagle is endangered is habitat loss. Philippine Eagles require a huge territory of old-growth woodlands to properly hunt and reproduce, and much of this forest habitat has been cleared in the Philippines. Its restricted range and long reproduction cycle also makes this bird sensitive to habitat disruptions. However, measures are being taken to aid this charming animal in its recovery. In 2010, there were an estimated 500 Philippine Eagles left in the wild. In 2016, this number was raised to 600, a step in the right direction. Captive breeding projects are also showing promise, so we hopefully will not lose this amazing and majestic modern dinosaur.