The Philippine eagle lives only in the Philippines. It is the national bird there. It lives in forests on four islands: Luzon, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao. You may have heard that it lives all over the Philippines. In fact, it lives on only four islands. It is very rare. As of November 2026, it is listed as Critically Endangered.

Now look at its size. This eagle is one of the largest eagles in the world. A Philippine eagle is about 3 feet (about 1 meter) long, and it can stand about three feet (1 meter) tall. Adult Philippine eagles weigh about 10 to 18 pounds (4.5 to 8.1 kilograms). A Philippine eagle's wings stretch about 6.5 feet (1.9 meters) from tip to tip.

Now look at its face. It has a big, curved beak and blue-gray eyes. It hunts animals such as flying squirrels and monkeys. It also eats birds, snakes and lizards. It used to be called the monkey-eating eagle. But monkeys are not its only food, so that old name left out a lot.

Now look at the nest. A nest is a bird's home. A Philippine eagle builds a huge nest of sticks high in a tree. These eagles nest in giant dipterocarp trees such as lauan. A mother eagle lays only one egg at a time, and she lays it about every two years. The egg takes about two months to hatch.

Now look at the family. When an egg hatches, a chick comes out of it. Both parents take turns sitting on the egg. At first, the father does most of the hunting and the mother does most of the feeding. A young Philippine eagle does not leave home soon. It stays with its parents for more than a year.

Words to know

• rare: very few
• nest: bird home
• hatch: come out
• weigh: have a weight
• dipterocarp: a giant tree

The short version

The Philippine eagle lives only in the Philippines, in forests on four islands: Luzon, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao. It is one of the largest eagles in the world and is very rare. As of November 2026, it is listed as Critically Endangered.

Quick facts

• The Philippine eagle can stand about three feet (1 meter) tall and weighs about 10 to 18 pounds (4.5 to 8.1 kilograms).
• Its wings stretch about 6.5 feet (1.9 meters) from tip to tip.
• It hunts animals such as flying squirrels and monkeys, and it also eats birds, snakes and lizards.
• A mother eagle lays only one egg at a time, about every two years.
• Both parents take turns sitting on the egg, and a young eagle stays with its parents for more than a year.