TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — A critically endangered Philippine eagle with a wing injury was rescued by residents in Leyte on May 27 and turned over to environmental authorities for treatment and assessment.
The bird was found at about 10 a.m. in Sitio Core, Barangay Tinocdugan, approximately 10 kilometers from the town center, according to Jobert Dublin.
Dublin said the eagle had a circular wound on its left wing and that maggots were already present when residents discovered it.
“The eagle had a circular wound on the left wing and there were already maggots in it when it was discovered,” Dublin said. “We still do not know what caused the injury.”
He said the bird appeared weak and initially struggled to drink water and eat.
The eagle, which weighed about five kilograms and had an estimated one-meter wingspan, received first aid at the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office before authorities transferred it to the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office in Ormoc City for further care.
Authorities have not determined whether the bird is among the Philippine eagles released under a reintroduction program led by the Philippine Eagle Foundation.
The foundation began releasing Philippine eagles into the forests of Burauen in 2024 as part of efforts to restore the species’ population in Eastern Visayas.
Four eagles have been released under the program. One eagle, named Uswag, died in July 2024 after it was believed to have been carried toward the sea during severe weather and was later recovered near Baybay City.
The Philippine eagle, the national bird of the Philippines, is classified as critically endangered. Conservation groups estimate that fewer than 400 breeding pairs remain in the wild due to habitat loss, hunting and other human-related threats.