Endangered Philippine hawk-eagle bred in captivity

(AFP) – Apr 19, 2012

MANILA — A Philippine hawk-eagle feared to be heading for extinction has been bred in captivity for the first time, its breeders said Thursday.

Hand-fed with ground quail meat, the chick has swiftly bulked up to 157 grams (0.04 ounces), three times its weight when hatched in an artificial incubator 16 days ago, the Philippine Eagle Foundation said.

Its spokeswoman Anna Mae Sumaya said this marked the first success of an 11-year-old captive breeding programme for the Nisaetus philippensis that dwell in fast-disappearing lowland forests.

“The species is under threat from human persecution. All the Philippine hawk-eagles that had been turned over to us were either injured by hunters or were young birds that had been removed from their nests,” she told AFP.

The adult of the dark-brown bird is 64-69 centimetres (25.2-27.2 inches) long, with a long crest of four or five feathers protruding from its crown.

Preying on lowland forest animals, the unique raptor is one of nearly 200 bird species that are found only in the Philippines.

Swiss-based International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says it is “vulnerable” from hunting and habitat loss.

The foundation had been trying to breed Philippine hawk-eagles since 2001, using adults rescued from hunters that were rehabilitated at its project site in the southern city of Davao.

“We got our first compatible pair in 2009 and they laid eggs in 2010 and 2011, but they always got crushed before we could collect them,” Sumaya said.

The hatchling was from the “pinskeri” subspecies, a Philippine hawk-eagle variant that is found on the southern island of Mindanao, she said.

Set up in 1987 for captive breeding of the critically endangered Philippine eagle, one of the world’s largest birds of prey, the non-profit foundation later also began breeding other raptors found only in the Philippines.

“They are all threatened, they have almost the same habitats and inhabit more or less the same territory as the Philippine eagle,” Sumaya said.

The foundation has artificially bred 24 Philippine eagles from captive pairs and released three young birds back in the wild, though only one of those released birds is still alive.

Copyright © 2012 AFP. All rights reserved.
source: google news

Normally for a crested goshawk, after they really tame and come to fist in the house, when bring outside, we need to begin the training again as they will be distracted with the new environment and cannot concentrate to the falconer. Having said that, since this hawk is a imprint birds, I think it will not make much different in side the house and outside the house.

At the moment, I can let her free fly to my fist inside the house. She is very calm and didn’t bath as she use to people. The only challenge is to encourage her to fly because she is not very keen to fly.

After about newly a month with me, her overall condition is better. The cere is fully recovered and the feather become more glossy (only certain part that is still not good). I guess to have all feather to top condition, she need to undergo one round of feather change.

by the way, I observe that her talon is somehow longer then many other crested goshawk that I have train before..

Crested Goshawk Talon

from the photo above, seem that the talon have similiar length with her toe..

another photo:

Crested Goshawk Talon

It was few month back… and I didn’t really train him much, just manning him…recently after I manned the new crested goshawk, I found that the chinese sparrowhawk become calmer!! seem like after he saw the crested goshawk being handle by me, he become more confident in me..

Few days back, while try to encourage the crested goshawk to fly to my fist… I saw the chinese sparrowhawk looking at me… I put down the crested goshawk and pick the chinese sparrowhawk up… fix the leash and try to call him… to my suprise he did come to my fist at about 5 feet.. I didn’t call for the second time, just give him his daily feed.

Chinese Sparrowhawk

Since this is the first time I train chinese sparrowhawk I am not very sure if all chinese sparrowhawk will have similiar behaviour or not which is whenever they saw the falconer train or treat other hawk respecfully, they become calmer…

Back to the training, today I try to call her at about 10 feet and he come to my fist immediately without need to think twice…not too bad for the second flight to fist..

Luckily she is not very vocal and seem like she is not food imprint or inheritage any other bad behavior.

I think it is good if I share with you my method to encourage her to jump to my fist or to grab her food with her feet. Well, actually when I get her, she didn’t know how to grab the food with the feet…. in my case, what I do is just giving her larger portion of food… I feed her entirely on quail so, 1/4 of quail will give her no choice but to grab it and eat it by small pieces.

The first step to encourage her to grab it is much more easy compare to the second stage where I need to encourage her to jump to my fist (in a very short distance)… The method that I use is give her the food (in large portion) when she pick her with her mouth I didn’t pull away but push toward her gently. With that, she will not able to tear the quail into smaller pieces but to jump on my fist to grab it…

After many times she will get use to grab the food with her feet…

Then the training to encourage her to jump to fist in longer distance begin…

Crested Goshawk

She did eat on the fist on the first day since she is very tame bird… however, she is not really concentrate on the food but only the environment.

Last night she is more responsive (after 4 days) and can eat steadily on the fist… however, I she is still didn’t jump to the fist… she only try her best to reach the food with her beak and not the feet…

I think she will need more time to train compare to the rest of crested goshawk that I have been train… however, I am sure that she can turn out to be a beast later on… wish her luck… she is the first crested that I train this year… year 2012. Hopefully this year is a good year and I can train many for my fellow falconer here in my area…

I will update you all again later on the progress..

THE INDISCRIMINATE use of poisons to kill rats or mice has been linked to an alarming decline in some of Ireland’s most iconic birds of prey, such as barn owls and kestrels.
According to one of the country’s leading experts, several native species of raptor – the ornithological term for birds of prey – are feeding on contaminated rodents and inadvertently ingesting poisons.

Raptor conservation officer with BirdWatch Ireland John Lusby said substances used in certain rodenticides were extremely toxic and can accumulate within birds.

This type of “secondary poisoning” is thought to be behind a sharp fall-off in the number of barn owls.

Known by their distinctive white plumage and eerie silent flight, the owls have seen their breeding population here plummet by more than 70 per cent in the past 20 years alone.

Recent estimates suggest there are now only between 400 and 500 pairs left in the country.

“In Ireland, we have fewer small mammal species compared to other countries like Britain, so barn owls here depend on rats and mice as prey to a greater extent,” Mr Lusby said.

Ornithologists fear kestrels, still the most commonly sighted bird of prey here, may be on a similar trajectory. The birds, most often spotted in their familiar hovering pose near roadside ditches and fields, share a similar ecology to the barn owl in terms of diet and habitat, and have declined by 7 per cent to 10 per cent since the 1990s.

There are also concerns surrounding the notoriously reclusive long-eared owl, whose cryptic nature makes the species difficult to survey, but whose numbers are also thought to be in decline.

Since 2010, the practice of using poisoned meat baits to control farmland pests such as foxes and crows has been outlawed because of the knock-on effects on other species.

However, there are currently no regulations concerning the use of poisons to kill rats or mice. In Britain, there are restrictions against the use of certain rodenticides in outside areas in order to protect other species, and ornithologists want similar regulations adopted here.

Raptor populations provide a “window to the health of the environment”, Mr Lusby said.

It was the rapid fall-off in peregrine falcon numbers in the middle of the last century which first alerted the authorities to the harmful effects of certain pesticides such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT).

The build-up of traces of the pesticide in the bird fat tissues as a result of its feeding on smaller insect-eating birds was found to be reducing the amount of calcium in bird’s eggshells, causing the eggs to be crushed by the weight of adults seeking to incubate them.

Since a ban on DDT was implemented, the peregrine population in Ireland, which had dwindled to little more than 60 pairs in the 1970s, has rebounded significantly, and the birds are now no longer a conservation concern.

Because peregrines and sparrowhawks, Ireland’s most common bird of prey, feed primarily on other bird species, they appear to have avoided the risks posed by rodenticides, in contrast with owls and kestrels.

Ireland unfortunately has had a poor record in protecting its native raptor species, arguably the worst in Europe.

There are currently 11 breeding raptor species in Ireland: the sparrowhawk, kestrel, peregrine falcon, merlin, hen harrier, barn owl, long-eared owl, buzzard, red kite, golden eagle, and the white-tailed or sea eagle.

Before the widespread woodland clearances of the 17th and 18th centuries, Irish skies teemed with big raptor species such as eagles, buzzards and goshawks, and perhaps even honey buzzards and eagle owls.

Unfortunately, the fate and ultimate extinction of these birds followed an all too familiar narrative of persecution and habitat destruction.

At one point in the last century, Ireland held the dubious distinction of being the only country in Europe which had more extinct birds of prey than existing species.

Because of our island status, lost species are also less likely to recolonise than in other regions which lie adjacent to healthy population groups.

While the recent high-profile eagle and red kite reintroduction programmes represent a step in the right direction, the breeding populations of these birds here are a long way from being classified as viable.

Perhaps the most positive recent news in raptor circles has been the remarkable comeback of the buzzard. Hunted to the brink of extinction in previous centuries, the broad-winged bird is now found throughout the country.

BirdWatch Ireland has launched a nationwide raptor appeal as part of its long-standing raptor conservation project to halt the loss of iconic birds such as the barn owl.

It is also set to beef up its own monitoring and research programmes on raptors. For more details log on to www.birdwatchireland.ie

RAPTORS AT RISK ICONIC BIRDS FACE A HIDDEN ENEMY:

Merlin – The smallest of all our birds of prey, also known as the pigeon hawk, is reclusive and hard to spot. It is unclear how Ireland’s population is faring.

Peregrine falcon – Swiftest bird in the skies. It suffered a catastrophic decline in the middle of the last century, linked to use of pesticides such as DDT. It has since rebounded significantly and is no longer a conservation concern.

Long-eared owl – Now thought to be more common than its barn owl cousin, but nonetheless on the wane because of use of poisons and loss of habitat.

Red kite – Tree-nesting raptor, reintroduced back into Ireland in 2007 after 200 years of absence. There were 14 breeding pairs of red kites in Wicklow as of last year.

Common buzzard – Hunted to the brink of extinction in previous centuries, this broad-winged raptor is now thriving again. Feeds on small mammals and carrion.

Barn owl – Known by its distinctive white plumage and eerie silent flight. Population has been in sharp decline, which experts link to the unrestricted use of rodenticides.

Kestrel – Easily the most commonly spotted raptor, typically seen hovering near roadside ditches and fields. Population is undergoing moderate but continual decline.

White-tailed eagle – Extremely large coastal bird which preys on fish, smaller mammals and carrion. Once widespread in Ireland, but like the golden eagle became extinct in the early part of the 20th century. Reintroduced back into Co Kerry in 2007.

Hen harrier – Scarce summer visitor to upland areas and bogs mainly in western Ireland. The species is steadily declining, probably due to the loss of quality moorland habitat.

Golden eagle – Often confused with buzzards, but much larger, with a wing span up to 6ft. Became extinct in Ireland in 20th century but was recently reintroduced back into Donegal.

Sparrowhawk – Ireland’s most common bird of prey, distinguished by its bluish-grey overcoat, often hunts garden birds in towns and cities.

source: www.irishtimes.com

You might be interested in it…

This book provide lots of useful information… and very practical too! for example it will give information about the problem, how to identify it and what is the medicine that can be use to cure it…

Here is some additional information about the book:

Author: Margit Gabriele Muller – Dr MedVet MBA MRCVS DVetHom (Director Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)

Falcon medicine exists for centuries, but in the past 10-15 years tremendous progress and new development of diseases and treatment methods have been made. It has always been a challenge to treat these beautiful birds of prey and the challenge continues until now. Falcons, falconry and falcon medicine are important in Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates which can be regarded as the cradle of modern falcon medicine in the 21st century. Having treated more than 30,000 falcons over the past years, the author feels that the time has come to share her outstanding experience with the veterinarians’ and falconers’ community for the sake of these incredible birds of prey – to enhance their living conditions and to improve medical falcon health care world-wide. This book is based on her experience of a large variety of different cases and is therefore very practical-oriented. It is intended to be a useful handbook for all interested people working with falcons and other avians such as veterinarians, veterinary students, falconers and raptor rehabilitation workers. The aim of this book is not to include all research that has ever been done on falcons, but to highlight those issues that are really working out in practice. It includes 17 chapters ranging from history of falcon medicine to different diseases up to first aid and intensive care medicine. A new classification for aspergillosis and bumblefoot is described. Moreover, the book also includes new diseases in falcons that have not yet been described elsewhere.

Binding: Hardcover book
Published on September 2009
Pages: pp. 403, more than 350 photos

5139 Practical Handbook of Falcon Husbandry and Medicine. $79.00

Table of Contents:
Preface

Chapter 1: Introduction pp. 1-11
Chapter 2: Species Information pp. 13-31
Chapter 3: Falcon husbandry pp. 33-49
Chapter 4: Molting pp. 51-67
Chapter 5: First Aid pp. 69-88
Chapter 6: Clinical examination, sampling and medical procedures pp. 89-121
Chapter 7: Laboratory examinations pp. 123-139
Chapter 8: Imping and coping pp. 141-155
Chapter 9: Feather and skin problems pp. 157-190
Chapter 10: Parasitic diseases pp. 191-122
Chapter 11: Fungal diseases pp. 223-242
Chapter 12: Bacterial Infections pp. 243-261
Chapter 13: Viral Diseases pp. 263-284
Chapter 14: Orthopedic problems and surgery pp. 285-307
Chapter 15: Soft tissue problems and surgeries pp. 309-332
Chapter 16: Intensive care pp. 333-346
Chapter 17: Miscellaneous pp. 347-371

The appearance of gleaming steel and glass high-rise buildings in the Gulf emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai where only desert existed a few decades ago, coupled with a long tradition of breeding birds of prey, has made falcon-based pest control a thriving business, as building owners try to prevent pigeons from nesting and relieving themselves on their flawless facades.

“Pigeons are flying rats, they will come in and just nest,” said Richard Ellis, a falconer at Royal Shaheen Events.

“It is an ecological way to use falcons to control the populations of pigeons,” he said as he placed hoods over the birds’ heads as part of preparations to transport them to another pigeon-infested zone for a fresh hunt.

Royal Shaheen, a falconry enterprise based in the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah, makes up to half of its revenue from pest control on Sir Bani Yas island, a tourist destination where imported wild animals roam in a safari park.

Falcons, some able to dive at speeds over 320 km/h (200 mph), don’t kill the pigeons but are used to scare them away from public places.

But still, not everyone approves of using a bird that is so widely revered in the Gulf for such workmanlike purposes.

Centuries ago in the region, Bedouin tribesmen used falcons — “saqr” in Arabic — to hunt for meat in the winter, when the only food available were dates, camel milk and bread. It is the national symbol of the seven United Arab Emirates, featured on road signs and the national currency.

Emirati falconer Mohammed Salem al-Kabi, who keeps 17 falcons in the desert oasis town of Al Ain, said using falcons as pest controllers was a travesty for such a majestic bird, which also does not like this kind of work.

“There are more efficient ways such as pills to make pigeons drowsy or using ultrasound to chase them away,” Kabi said, gathered among his friends in an air-conditioned tent with a flat screen TV on the wall showing falcons hunting.

Around the world however, where many city squares such as the Piazza San Marco in Venice or Trafalgar Square in London are famous for their large pigeon populations, falcons have already been deployed to control unwanted birds.

“About 25 companies in Britain use falcons for pest control, and there are many all over the world, so clearly it works and is cost effective,” said Nick Fox, Director at International Wildlife Consultants Limited in Wales.

Fox said Britain’s Houses of Parliament and a stadium in Cardiff were also protected by trained hawks.

Falcons have also been used at the tennis courts of Wimbledon to keep the world championships pigeon-free, and in the past at New York’s JFK Airport to scare off gulls and geese from entering the airspace and prevent bird strikes — where birds are sucked into jet engines.

THRIVING BUSINESS

David Stead, owner of rival Al Hurr Falconry Services in the UAE, said falcon business was flying: “The market is massive, there is space for more. We don’t tread on each other’s toes.”

“We fly at all their hotels, Burj Al Arab, Emirates Towers, Madinat Jumeirah,” he said of his top client, luxury hotelier Jumeirah Group in Dubai.

In the UAE, Ras al-Khaimah airport, the University of Al Ain, as well as hotels in Fujairah have all expressed interest in employing falcons, said Royal Shaheen director Peter Bergh.

For Bergh’s 40 falcons, fees range from 40,000 dirhams($10,890) up to 70,000 dirhams per month.

“Here the problem gets attention because of the glossy, shiny buildings which they spoil,” said Bergh.

Regardless the opposition to pest control, falcon-breeding and -trading in the desert oil producer is on the rise.

“Falconry is now expanding. It used to be only for rich people and sheikhs to hunt,” said Abdulla Lootah, an owner of a farm in Dubai, which breeds around 50 to 60 falcons each year.

“Because falcons are easy to get and they are everywhere, everybody wants to have one. That’s why we started this business,” he said.

Some 18,000 falcons are currently registered in the UAE, said Abdulrab al-Hamiri, a deputy manager at Abu Dhabi’s Environment Agency.

Every year, some 800 falconers from the Gulf, including around 300 from the Emirates, gather for speed races, though only royalty and the rich can afford to go on grand hunting expeditions abroad in countries such as Russia and Kazakhstan where annual permits can cost up to $300,000.

“It is really expensive. You have to rent land first and have a permit for hunting,” said Lootah, who keeps some 120 breeding falcons in air-conditioned spaces as mercury climbs well over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in the summer.

ILLEGAL TRADE

The increasing interest in using the birds for business as well as a hobby has however created another problem. Some falconers prefer wild falcons to birds raised in captivity and that has boosted legal and illegal trade in the species.

“With the break-up of the USSR in 1993, large tracts of Asia have been opened up to trapping, some of which is through legal quotas such as Mongolia, but some is illegal,” Fox said.

“China and Kazakhstan used to have an export quota but have stopped trading in recent years. Lack of legal sources has sent much of it underground and so it continues illegally,” he said.

The hunting of wild animals including falcons in the UAE was banned in 1978, Hamiri said, and the declaration of a new law in 2002 to regulate the trade of endangered species and falcons has dramatically decreased the illegal trade.

“In regard to the UAE, we have increased efforts to combat smuggling, and as per our records, we intercept a few individuals annually mainly at airports and land border crossings,” Hamiri said. “In some cases it’s live falcons or mounted specimens… Sedating falcons and hiding them in a car.”

Every season around 600 falcons are estimated to arrive in the UAE, one of the biggest markets in the Gulf, prompting airlines to even issue “falcon passports” to regulate transport.

These days, falconers are willing to pay up to $270,000 for the rare hunting and sports birds, well up from around $30 in the late 1940s.

“It is expensive in value, but it is precious to our hearts,” said Kabi, who keeps a perch for favorite falcons in his bedroom.

($1=3.672 UAE Dirhams)

[source: reuters]

I just fit the jesses for her… still didn’t really weight or manned her yet. I will start to manned her tomorrow, today I think I will just let her more settle down at the new environment.

I don’t fit any anklets to her as her leg is very small (compared to Goshawk), so jesses which fit directly to her leg will be more suitable..

She seem to try to ‘bite’ the jesses, hopefully it is strong enough to hold her.

I will try to post the update from time to time… do wish me luck in manning and training her.