Sunday, September 12, 2010

The Philippines Monkey Eating Eagle




The Philippine Eagle, Pithecophaga jefferyi, also known as the Great Philippine Eagle or Monkey-eating Eagle, is among the tallest, rarest, largest, and most powerful birds in the world. A bird of prey belonging to the family Accipitridae, it is also known as "Haribon" or "Haring Ibon," which means "Bird King". Its local name is banog.[2]

The species was discovered in 1896 by the English explorer and naturalist John Whitehead, who observed the bird and whose servant, Juan, collected the first specimen a few weeks later.[3] The skin of the bird was sent to William Robert Ogilvie-Grant in London in 1896, who initially showed it off in a local restaurant and described the species a few weeks later.[4]

Upon its discovery, the Philippine Eagle was first called the monkey-eating eagle because of reports from natives of Bonga, Samar [1] where the species was first discovered that it preyed exclusively on monkeys; from these reports it gained its generic name, from the Greek pithecus ("ape or monkey") and phagus ("eater of").[5] The specific name commemorates Jeffery Whitehead, the father of John Whitehead.[4] Later studies revealed, however, that the alleged monkey-eating eagle also ate other animals such as colugo, civets, large snakes, monitor lizards, and even large birds like hornbills. This, coupled with the fact that the same name applied to the African Crowned Hawk-eagle and the South American Harpy Eagle, resulted in a presidential proclamation to change its name to Philippine Eagle in 1978, and in 1995 was declared a national emblem. This species has no recognized subspecies.[6]


Monkey Eating Eagle of The Philippines


Sourced From Wikipedia and YouTube

22 comments:

tin-tin said...

was surprised to see this on your blog. hehe. not the usual post that i see here ;p

kim said...

yes, i remember it as 'monkey-eating eagle' though i haven't seen one in person yet, i do believe it's one AWESOME species..

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Tin-tin,
The title of my blog is Random Thoughts so it has a wide ranging area of topics. I want to have variations in my post to attract as many readers as possible. Thanks for your visit and comments. God bless you always.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Kim,
Yes, our monkey eating eagle is the biggest eagle in the world who can consume a monkey or a civet cat. It is already under the endangered species category and conservation measures are already being utilized to preserve this specie. Thanks for your visit and comments. God bless you always.

Arvin U. de la Peña said...

bihira na lang ang ganyan sa mga kabukiran..maganda talaga ang kulay ng ibon na iyan..

Dhemz said...

only in the Philippines....:)

awalkthroughlife said...

indeed, the philippine eagle is something that we all should be proud of because it will forever be written in the history books; so it is only but fitting to preserve this species

Unknown said...

The biggest ones are found here ....and we have a park just for them here in Davao.

MinnieRunner said...

Oh, I want to see one again with my naked eyes.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Bingkee,
Yes, I am well aware of that. It's just sad that I have not seen that since I have not yet set foot on Davao. Thanks for your visit and comments. God bless you all always.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Arvin,
I don't think you can see them in the fields but in dense jungles. Thanks for your visit and comments. God bless you always.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Dhemz,
Yes the monkey eating eagle can only be found in the Philippines. Thanks for your visit and comments. God bless you all always.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Meretrisha,
Like the Tarsier, the monkey eating eagle is found only in the Philippines. Let us all endeavor to preserve its legacy for our future generations. Thanks for your visit and comments. God bless you all always.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi MinnieRunner,
Yes, I have not seen it live also. It will be wonderful to see the monkey eating eagle in the flesh. Thanks for your visit and comments. God bless you all always.

anne said...

There are many eagles here in Davao sad to say they are in cage. Before they are free to fly in the forest,.

Mrs.D said...

nakikiraan lang po kuya...salamat po sa dalaw at comments!

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Anne,
It is better that they are caged and taken care of instead of them being hunted down by bounty hunters. Thanks for your visit and comments. God bless you always.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Dhemz,
Thanks for dropping by and for your comments. God bless you all always.

Azumi's Mom ★ said...

this is something Filipinos should be proud of :) I'm proud kaya lang sana paka-ingatan natin.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Bambie dear,
Yes, you are so right. It is only in the Philippines where can one see this magnificent creature. It is bigger and stronger than the world famous bald eagle of America. Thanks for your visit and comments. God bless you all always.

Mel_Cole said...

Kuya Mel, can I link this post to my blog? I like to feature it. :)

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi MelCole,
By all means, you can do so. Thanks for your visit and comments. God bless you all always.


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