The Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) said on Monday that Uswag, a Philippine eagle, had been found dead in the waters near Ponson Island in Pilar, Cebu.
The PEF said in their statement that Uswag, the male eagle, probably drowned. GPS data indicated Uswag was at sea, so on July 31, officials launched a search and recovery operation. The body of the three-year-old eagle was discovered floating in the water, entangled in seagrass and algae, three days later.
Before Uswag was found, veterinarians believe he had been dead for four or five days. “Sadly, perhaps due to the rains and winds brought by the Southwest monsoon, Uswag lost his flight bearings and was drawn towards the sea,” said the PEF.
Uswag’s X-ray confirmed that all of his bones were whole and showed no evidence of damage or fractures. No air gun pellets or bullets were discovered, and there was no outward sign of trauma, shooting, or physical harm.
On June 28, Uswag, one of two Philippine eagles released in Leyte as part of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the PEF’s Species Reintroduction Project, was set free. Though seven of these birds were discovered to be alive, this episode represents the ninth recorded instance of a Philippine eagle crash-landing at sea. In Maasim, Sarangani Province, an eighth incidence was reported in 2022.
With only 400 pairs of Philippine eagles left in the wild, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classed the species as severely endangered.
