THE Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) recently welcomed its newest hatchling, Chick No. 31, just in time for its 38th anniversary. The chick hatched on January 16, 2025, at the National Bird Breeding Sanctuary (NBBS) in Barangay Eden, Toril, Davao City.
PEF Executive Director Dennis Salvador shared updates on the chick’s progress during a media briefing on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at the Philippine Eagle Center (PEC). He confirmed that the hatchling is growing strong and developing well.
"This time, we made sure that Chick 31 stays healthy and grows well," he said.
Domingo Tadena, the facility manager of NBBS, said that Chick 31 is the second egg of female Philippine Eagle Dakila and semen donor Philippine Eagle Dinah. He said that despite lacking some facilities and facing challenges, they were able to successfully hatch the chick. He then attributed the successful breeding season to the climate at the NBBS, which is well-suited to the eagles.
"Kini si chick 31 hangtud karun nagpadayun, mga 33 days na siya karun ang iyang timbang gikan sa pag hatch it was 148 grams karun naa na siya sa one kilo and 600 grams (This Chick 31 is still growing and is now 33 days old. When it hatched, it weighed 148 grams, and now it weighs 1.6 kilograms)," he said.
Chick No. 30, named Riley, was adopted by Eagle Cement Corporation. Its hatching marked a historic milestone as the first-ever documented unassisted natural hatching, highlighting the resilience of PEF’s conservation efforts.
Salvador noted that relocating breeding Philippine Eagles to the NBBS has significantly improved their reproduction.
The previous breeding season demonstrated that the eagles thrived in the new environment, especially without human disturbance.
"It's unprecedented because usually when you move birds from one place to another they usually don't respond well to the changes and actually don't breed," he said.
Tadena recalled that when eagles were first transferred from Baracatan in Toril to the PEC in Malagos in 1988, it took four years to produce a chick—Philippine Eagle Pag-asa. In contrast, the NBBS has already produced four eggs in just nine months, aided by artificial insemination.
Salvador said the importance of training the next generation of conservationists. He is personally involved in mentoring new staff, ensuring they acquire the necessary skills for hatching and caring for eagles.
He shared that they plan to provide the eagle with proper nutrition and regular sunbathing. As a precaution, they no longer feed the eagles or chicks of avian species, opting instead for a diet of mammals. He hopes that the chick will be mentored by adult eagles and, once mature, could eventually be released into the wild.
With fewer than 400 Philippine Eagles remaining in the wild, this successful hatching is a significant boost to ongoing conservation and breeding efforts. The event also marked key milestones and recognized conservation partners committed to protecting the country’s national bird.
Previously, the foundation suffered a major loss when Chick No. 30 died from an infection just two weeks after hatching. RGP