TWO elusive Mindanao bleeding-heart pigeons (Gallicolumba crinigera) were sighted along the foothills of the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary.
The sighting of the elusive bird happened on July 29, 2026, during the Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring System (BAMS) activity.
Prior to the sighting of the bleeding-heart, the species was accidentally observed in the area by an intern of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Davao Region (DENR-Davao) around June and July 2026. It was observed that a male was performing a courtship display to a female bird. This shows that there is a possible breeding activity in the sanctuary.
It was confirmed that species were observed within the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary on August 8, 2019.
The DENR-Davao said that the sighting of the elusive bird shows the success of the BAMS that is being undertaken by the Protected Area Management Office (PAMO)–Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary (MHRWS) and DENR-Davao through the Conservation and Development Division–Protected Area Management and Biodiversity Conservation Section (CDD-PAMBCS).
“This prompts the strengthened law enforcement against illegal wildlife trade, and implementing sustained conservation measures to support the species' long-term survival and recovery,” DENR-Davao said on July 30, 2026.
The Mindanao bleeding-heart is a ground-dwelling dove that belongs to the pigeon family (Columbidae). The bird is endemic to the Philippines, and the species is distributed in Mindanao, Basilan, Samar, Leyte, Bohol, and the Dinagat Islands.
The species usually inhabits primary and secondary tropical lowland rainforests at elevations of up to 750 meters above sea level.
According to DENR Administrative Order No. 2019-09, or the updated National List of Threatened Philippine Fauna and their Categories, the Mindanao bleeding-heart is classified as vulnerable, which means that it faces a high risk of population decline, especially in the wild, due to the threats it faces. RGP
