First Pinskers Hawk-Eagle Hatched at Philippine Eagle Foundation
May 23, 2012
The Philippine Eagle Foundation announced a first in its conservation breeding program. They successfully hatched a Pinsker’s Hawk-Eagle chick on April 2 at their conservation breeding facility after an incubation period of 48 days. The chick is the first Pinsker’s Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus pinskeri) bred and hatched in captivity. It came from a natural pair of parents and weighed a mere 57.2 grams when it hatched.
Once it reaches adulthood, this medium-sized eagle will look like the third picture below. It will have a light brown body with a brown, black and white belly and a dark brown tail striped with four to five darker, narrow bands. Its head and under parts will be reddish-brown with black streaks, while the throat will be white. And its wings will become broad and rounded.
The Pinsker’s Hawk-Eagle, endemic to the Philippines, is a species of bird of prey in the Acciptridae family. It is considered threatened because of the loss of its natural habitat - the subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. PEF Executive Director Dennis Salvador said, “The fast diminishing forests and destruction of their habitats are still the biggest threats to their survival. We need everyone’s contribution to ensure that the Pinsker’s Hawk-Eagle population will increase, especially in the wild."
Photo Credits: Philippine Eagle Foundation
Read more about the eagle and PEF's conservation efforts after the jump:
Salvador added, “We have to carefully and constantly monitor the chick and make notes on its progress since it is the first Pinsker’s Hawk-Eagle hatched by our breeding program. Hopefully, it will survive and we will be able to improve our breeding techniques of this species through this experience. In the past 20 years, the PEF’s conservation breeding program has gained significant advancement that will make it possible for us to augment the eagle population. The real challenge however,” said Salvador, “is the Pinsker’s Hawk-Eagle’s survival in the wild.”
In 1992, the Philippine Eagle Foundation’s conservation breeding program made a breakthrough with the birth of Pag-asa, the first Philippine Eagle bred and hatched in captivity.