Is the Philippine Eagle related to the Brahminy Kite bird found in Davao? Kuya Kim answers

When a fisherman found a bird in a creek in Marilog, Davao City, he thought it was a Philippine Eagle, and it certainly looked like one.

However, it turned out that it wasn't the Philippines' national bird but a Brahminy Kite, a medium-sized raptor.

So are the Brahminy Kite and Philippine Eagle related?

According to Kuya Kim's report on "24 Oras," Tuesday, the Brahminy Kite, or Haliastur Indus, belongs to the family Accipitridae.

The Philippine Eagle also belongs in this family, along with buzzards and harriers.

The Brahminy Kite lives in Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and Australia.

There, they can usually be found on the coast or inland wetlands, where they eat dead fish and other prey.

In Indonesia, they're called Elang Bondol and are the official mascot of Jakarta.

In the religion Hinduism, it's the contemporary representation of Garuda, the sacred bird of the Hindu god Vishnu.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists this bird under "least concern," a category that means the species is still plentiful in their habitat.

However, their population is decreasing in the wild in Java, Indonesia.

"May around 100,000 po na individuals tayo, but here in Southeast Asia, their population is declining due to multiple factors including habitat destruction and human persecution," said Tristan Senarillos, a Philippine Eagle Foundation biologist.

Other bird species that may be extinct in the Philippines include the Asia Woollyneck or Ciconia Episcopus, which is a medium-sized stork. The last sighting of the stork was in 2007 in Bislig, Surigao del Sur.

—Kimberly Tsao/MGP, GMA Integrated News