‘Most unique’ birds documented in Apayao biosphere

TUGUEGARAO CITY — Fourteen of the most unique or endemic bird species have been documented in the virgin forests of the Apayao biosphere, according to the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) in Calanasan town.

Cenro reported that it had listed the critically endangered Philippine Eagle and other bird species found during a biodiversity census within the 350,900-hectare biosphere reserve, which was designated in 2024 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

READ: 86 bird species documented in Nueva Vizcaya census

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The Apayao bird species represent 43 percent of the country’s 259 documented endemic resident avifauna species, according to a scientific tally by BirdLife International.

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Dorothy Joy Cayaba, CENRO Calanasan officer-in-charge, said the recorded endemic and near-endemic species include the Philippine Jungle Crow (scientific name: Corvus philippinus), Brown-breasted Kingfisher (scientific name: Halcyon gularis), Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker (scientific name: Yungipicus maculatus), and Cream-breasted Fruit Dove (scientific name: Ramphiculus merrilli).

Also documented was the existence in Apayao of the Philippine serpent eagle (Scientific name: Spilornis holospilus), Balicassiao (Scientific name: Dicrurus balicassius), Luzon Hornbill (Scientific name: Penelopides manillae), Philippine Wild Duck (Scientific name: Anas luzonica), and Northern Rufous Hornbill (Scientific name: Buceros hydrocorax). 

“Every bird documented is a story of a forest worth protecting,” CENRO Calanasan said. 

“The documentation of (bird species) shows the value of sustained biodiversity surveys and threatened species monitoring in Apayao. It demonstrates that continued fieldwork not only helps us monitor our threatened species but also allows us to discover and document wildlife that may have previously gone unrecorded,” Cayaba said.

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A recent “threatened species monitoring” initiative in Flora town documented a Golden-crowned Flying Fox (Acerodon jubatus) and confirmed the presence of a Large Flying Fox (Pteropus vampyrus) in the area.

Nariha Kabugao, a Philippine Eagle previously documented in Apayao, have also been tracked in these forests.