The Philippines is home to over twenty-three species of Owls, but the largest of them all is the Philippine Eagle Owl.
NOCTURNAL STEALTH, DAYTIME ACTIVITY
The Philippine Eagle Owl is a formidable predator. They stand close to twenty-two inches in height, and weigh up to three kilograms.
Despite their size, they can fly silently in the dead of night. Just like other Owls, their eyes have exceptional night vision, allowing them to navigate through the dark forest with ease. Their powerful claws can snatch up unsuspecting prey, which consists of small Mammals, Reptiles, Birds and Amphibians.
What sets them apart from the other Owls in the country is how active they seem during the day. I have seen them on numerous occasions flying from tree to tree, preening and expelling pellets in the middle of the day, although I have yet to see one hunting in broad daylight. They seem to sleep very little during the day, usually a few hours just before sunset.
MISTAKEN IDENTITY
Philippine Eagle Owls are much more active at night, and an encounter with one would definitely send chills down your spine. Imagine walking alone on the road lined up with trees, with street lights distanced far in between, and you see a pair of large yellow eyes looking at you from an old Balete.
I’m convinced many stories about the Aswang, Kapre, Tikbalang, and other Filipino mythical creatures are probably due to encounters with this large Owl. To make matters worse, their call is eerily similar to the sound of werewolves used in horror movies.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Philippine Eagle Owl belongs to the genus Ketupa, from the Malay word “ketupok”, referring to the local Malay name of large Owls who hunt fish and aquatic prey.
WHEN THEY STARE BACK
I had a couple of surprise encounters with the Philippine Eagle Owl.
The first one was during the day: The Owl stood fifteen meters away on the roots of a Balete tree, looking straight at me. I initially got startled before recovering my bearings to finally take photos of the Bird.
The second one was at night. We were looking for nocturnal mammals along the highway, when we saw a large figure of what seems to be a roosting Eagle near the roadside. When we finally opened our flashlight to see what it was, we were surprised to see the big yellow eyes of a Philippine Eagle Owl. Just like the first one, I had to step back for a second, intimidated by this Bird’s presence, and then finally grabbed my camera to take photos.
INTIMIDATING YET VULNERABLE
Not all people would have the same level of respect for these amazing creatures. On top of that, Owls are often victims of superstitious beliefs.
The Philippine Eagle Owl can only be found in the Philippines and they are currently classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Owls are said to bring bad luck and are sometimes shot at to drive them away. They are also greatly affected by the wholesale clearance of forests, especially the mature trees that they rely on to build their nests.
A FRIEND IN THE DARK
Thankfully though, based on my observations, I noticed that they are quite tolerant of human disturbances. In fact, most of my sightings of the Philippine Eagle Owl are in public parks within or near Metro Manila like La Mesa Ecopark and Ninoy Aquino Parks & Wildlife Center, and private subdivisions in Cavite and Rizal.
Perhaps these Owls are attracted to human presence so that they can feed on Rodents and Amphibians. And if we look past their scary eyes and ominous calls, maybe it will dawn on us that Mother Nature has provided us with a shield against diseases caused by other animals: The King of the Night, the Philippine Eagle Owl.
