The Philippine Eagle Center

The Philippine eagle is one of the largest eagles in the world, a forest raptor with a shaggy crest and a pale hooked face, and it is critically endangered - the wild population is small and scattered across the remaining old-growth forest of a few islands. The centre at Malagos, run by a conservation foundation, keeps around thirty of them in large enclosures in a patch of watershed forest and runs the captive breeding programme that has produced chicks since the 1990s. Alongside the eagles are other native raptors, deer, warty pigs and crocodiles. The visit is a walk along a shaded path between enclosures, with keepers and volunteers explaining what each bird is and how it arrived.

Highlights

• The eagles - large enclosures holding a substantial share of the world's captive Philippine eagles.
• The breeding programme - the explanation of how chicks are raised and why it is so slow.
• The other raptors - hawk eagles, serpent eagles and owls native to the same forests.
• The forest walk - the shaded path through Malagos watershed between the enclosures.

When to go

Open year-round; mornings are cooler and the birds more active before the middle of the day. The road up from Davao City takes about an hour and is best done early. Weekends bring school and family groups. Rain in the afternoon is common in these uplands, and the paths are open to the weather.

What to expect

The birds are behind heavy mesh, which frustrates photographers and makes some enclosures feel confined. The whole visit takes under two hours and the drive up and back takes longer than that. The conservation story is a sobering one rather than an uplifting day out, and the centre does not pretend otherwise. Facilities are simple and the site can look worn.

Nearby

Malagos and the Davao uplands, with Mount Apo's Kapatagan side further on.