Current view: Data table and detailed info
Taxonomic note
Nisaetus philippensis and N. pinskeri (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) were previously lumped as N. philippensis following Haring et al. (2006), which before then was placed in the genus Spizaetus following Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993).
Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Red List history
| Migratory status |
not a migrant |
Forest dependency |
high |
| Land-mass type |
|
Average mass |
- |
Population justification: Endemic to Luzon (and satellites) and Mindoro, where considered uncommon to rare (Allen 2020). During fieldwork at two sites on Luzon, Preleuthner and Gamauf (1998) determined population densities of 3.1–5.7 pairs/100km2, broadly similar to more recent road transect surveys in 2021 which found c.0.4–0.5 individuals/10 km of road travelled (J. Gan in litt. 2021). From their data, Preleuthner and Gamauf (1998) concluded a population size on Luzon of 200–220 pairs.
It is unclear from what source Preleuthner and Gamauf (1998) derived their extent of suitable habitat value to extrapolate population densities into population sizes, but it appears to have been pessimistic. Recent remote sensing data (Global Forest Watch 2024) combined with citizen science data (eBird 2024) indicate that there is approximately 15,000–20,000 km2 of suitable forest on Luzon alone, indicating a population size of 465–855 breeding pairs, or 930–1,710 mature individuals.
Mindoro was not mentioned as being part of this taxon's range by Preleuthner and Gamauf (1998), despite being listed by Dickinson et al. (1991) and Dutson et al. (1992). It continues to be regularly observed here (eBird 2024) and, if densities on Mindoro are equivalent to Luzon, the island probably hosts an additional 50–100 pairs.
Combining available data the global population size is therefore estimated at c.1,000–2,000 mature individuals.
Trend justification: The primary threat to this species is deforestation, with hunting a secondary threat which may have additive impacts (although its contribution to declines is much harder to quantify). Between 2000 and 2022, forest cover in this species' range fell by 7–14%, depending on the thresholds of canopy cover used in the calculation (Global Forest Watch 2023, based on data from Hansen et al. [2013] and methods disclosed therein). Selective logging, forest degradation and hunting are all likely to be having additive impacts on this species, although these are difficult to quantify. Accounting for all plausible scenarios (including the pattern of recent records [eBird 2024], which indicate the species does remain relatively common/frequently observed in suitable habitat; i.e. hunting is probably not an acute threat), over the past three generations (26 years: 1996–2022) this species is suspected of having declined by 10–25%. More recently, annual forest cover loss in this species' range has slowed, in large part because of an increasing successful protected area network (Apan et al. 2017, Blankespoor et al. 2017). Nonetheless, some forest continues to be lost (since 2017 at a rate closer to 4–5% over three generations) and in the future, the population of this species is suspected to decline more slowly, at c.5-15%.
Country/territory distribution
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Species factsheet: North Philippine Hawk-eagle Nisaetus philippensis. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/north-philippine-hawk-eagle-nisaetus-philippensis on 16/01/2025.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2025) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 16/01/2025.
