Creating a New Chapter of Hope for One of the World’s Most Endangered Eagles

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Great Philippine Eagle by Neil Rettig.

NEIL RETTIG, CINEMATOGRAPHER: For me, these creatures are masterpieces of nature.

NATIVE MALE: If you find it in your first try, you are a very lucky person.

RETTIG: What do you think?

MALE 1: I think it's generous to call that a hike. That's climbing!

RETTIG: You know what the good news is? We're an eighth of our way there. [laughs]

RETTIG: It's got this beautiful crest that stands up, these beautiful blue eyes, and it’s got bone-crushing, powerful feet.

RETTIG: I just saw that, if I can be quick, we might have a chance, over. I gotta get this camera built. You gotta think clearly so you don't drop anything. Given the rarity of this bird, we cannot take chances.

RETTIG: Skip or Laura, come in, over.

MALE VOICE: Yeah, Neil.

RETTIG: I got a baby Philippine Eagle.

NATIVE MALE VOICE: All of our islands suffered deforestation.

NATIVE FEMALE VOICE: No one was watching so they just cut with impunity.

RETTIG: The baby is so fragile. I think a cold rain could kill a young eagle in an hour and a half, two hours.

NATIVE MALE VOICE: We have to move on to attitude and that's something you feel in your guts.

MALE VOICE 2: Where other people find excuses not to do things, you find a way to make it happen.

NATIVE MALE VOICE 2: It's a race against time and time's not on their side.

NATIVE MALE VOICE 3: What it has for the human spirit is immeasurable.

RETTIG: I personally, cannot stand the thought of these masterpieces becoming extinct. And so, there's a handful of people that want to do something about it. And I'm one of them.

End Transcript

In a race against time, conservationists are working to save the Great Philippine Eagle from extinction. It is the world’s largest and rarest eagle, with fewer than 1,000 remaining. Watch the video to get to know these magnificent birds-of-prey and go behind the scenes with the team working to save the species in its only home, the last fragments of old-growth forests in the Philippines.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology worked with the Philippine Eagle Foundation and cinematographer Neil Rettig to produce “Bird of Prey,” a documentary that follows Neil’s return to the Philippines as he embarks on a grueling expedition alongside a small but devoted group determined to protect the eagles. Together, they answer the question: What will it take to save a species from extinction?

Your support enables us to raise international awareness of these magnificent eagles and the groundbreaking work needed to save the species.

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