Near Sierra Madre Mountains, Philippines Photograph by Jorgen Thomsen/ Conservation International   Southeastern Asia: Luzon Island in the Philippines Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   36,900 square miles (95,500 square kilometers) -- about the size of Indiana and Rhode Island combined Critical/Endangered

· Eyes on the Eagle
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Eyes on the Eagle

The mountainous island of Luzon conceals a national treasure: the Philippine eagle. Rarely seen, this national bird of the Philippines is the second largest eagle in the world. Now more threatened than ever, the survival of the eagle has become an indicator of the health of the Philippines environment overall.

Special Features

Thick tracts of rain forest once stretched across nearly every corner of this tropical ecoregion. Today little of this forest remains, the rest having been cleared by loggers attracted to the trees and by farmers attracted to the fertile soils. Luzon Island is now the largest rice-growing region in the country. Despite the losses of native habitat, the island’s flora is still diverse, with the remaining patches of forest dominated by dipterocarp trees. Towering overhead at 150 to 200 feet (45 to 60 m), these trees have buttresses at their bases that are 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 m) in diameter. Other vegetation includes mangrove forests, beach forests, natural grasslands, and abundant herbaceous undergrowth.

	At more than 2 ½ pounds (about 1 kg), the golden-crowned flying fox may be the heaviest bat in the world, but that does not stop it from traveling at least 25 miles (40 k) in a single night.

Wild Side

The Philippine eagle is a fierce raptor, one of the top predators in this ecoregion. The birds prefer to nest in dominant forest trees on steep mountain slopes, usually making a nest in a fern growing in the branches. A pair of eagles requires a large territory and rears only one offspring every two years. Unfortunately, this makes the species highly susceptible to deforestation. The survival of other birds hangs in the balance as well, including the endangered green racquet-tail and the Isabela oriole. They share the forest with the largest bat in the world -- the endangered golden-crowned flying fox, whose primary food is figs. Three other endemic mammals--the Isarog shrew-mouse, the Isarog shrew-rat, and the Isarog striped shrew-rat--feed on earthworms.

Cause for Concern

The Luzon forests have been greatly modified by logging and unsustainable agriculture, with only 24 percent remaining intact. Although this is a higher percentage than remains on other Philippine islands, population growth and related development threaten further losses. Hunting and habitat destruction are threatening several endemic species, including the golden-crowned flying fox, the long-tailed macaque, and the Philippine brown deer. Although Luzon contains one of the largest populations of Philippine eagle, with more than 70 individuals, the species is critically endangered.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.