With a high level of bird endemism, the Philippines has the potential to become one of the best places in the world for birdwatching. 

Based on the records of BirdLife International, there are 10,000 species of birds in the world, 593 are found in the Philippines and 258 of which are endemic in our country and hence, can only be found in this part of the world. This makes the Philippines an attractive destination for bird enthusiasts, ornithologists, conservationists and scientists.

Palawan Peacock-Pheasant, an endemic bird found only in the pristine forests of Palawan |  Source: papalengamazinganimals.com

Included on this list of endemic birds are the Philippine Eagle, Palawan Peacock Pheasant, Philippine Eagle-Owl, Indigo-banded Kingfisher, Luzon Bleeding Heart, Philippine Hornbill, Philippine Cockatoo and more. Interestingly, we ranked 4th with the highest bird endemicity in the world. |  Source: Convention on Biological Diversity

Birdwatching: A Multi-Billion Dollar Industry

Birdwatching is a rising multi-billion dollar ecotourism industry. In the U.S. alone, birdwatching has an economic revenue of $41 billion dollars. Roughly $17.3 billion is spent annually on wildlife-watching trip-related expenses, with more than 20 million Americans taking birding-specific trips.

Not only does it do well for the economy, it can also be a practical global conservation effort. According to the Deputy Director of the National Audobon Society, “birding ecotourists typically have a lighter footprint from not wanting to disturb the birds and are often pioneers for furthering conservation projects to protect the habitats of wild and rare bird species.” |  Source: thedailybeast.com

Defining Birdwatching

Birdwatching, sometimes called birding, is an outdoor activity that involves observing birds in their natural habitat.

An optical instrument, usually a binocular or a telescope is used to vividly see birds from a distance. Birdwatchers find a good spot for birding to see, observe and/or study birds without harming or disrupting their natural behavior. Avid birders and ornithologists would be willing to travel long distances for that oportunity to see rare birds in actual.

Birdwatching in the Philippines: A Guide on Birding for Beginners

Birdwatching or birding has not yet been a popular activity for Filipinos. Though some birding activities exist, it is not as hyped as other tourism activities such as diving or island adventures.

According to Mr. Jops Josef, a bird guide and a member of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, birdwatching in the Philippines is a bit “tricky”. It is because our country is an archipelago which means that one has to travel from one island to another to cover varied bird sites. Finding good lodging is also a challenge, especially in areas like Mt.Kitanglad where lodging is scarce. Other birding considerations include the tide (schedule it on low tide); season (not on the rainy season) and time of the day (best time is early morning that is, 5:00-7:00 AM and late afternoon at 5:00-6.30 PM.

Birdwatching Essentials

Bird watching is an activity that does not require much equipment and can be relatively inexpensive. You only need a good pair of athletic shoes, a hat to protect your eyes from glare, Earth color clothing (preferably brown, khaki or green) to blend with the environment, a bird field guide and of course binoculars.

The Birdwatcher: Two Types of Birdwatchers

There are 2 types of birdwatchers – 1) birders who seriously pursue the interest in birding and 2) typical tourists who just want to see birds.

Each of them has different requirements and expectations. Serious birdwatchers may already have the needed equipment and know-how while the latter doesn’t. Experienced birdwatchers are also more keen and often record observations on their bird watching journal. For newbies, it is best to coordinate with bird experts and hire a bird guide for a more meaningful bird watching experience.

Specific interest groups and conservation organizations like the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines and Haribon Foundation exist to create awareness, amplify interest and promote biodiversity conservation.

Video: Palawan as Bird Capital & A Glimpse of Endemic Birds in the Philippines

Types of Birds in the Philippines

1) Endemic Birds

There are species of birds that are exclusively found in the country. Endemic birds are usually the main targets or attraction for birdwatchers – to have that rare opportunity to see rare birds that are not commonly found elsewhere.

List of Endemic Birds in the Philippines according to the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines

2) Migratory Birds Philippines: Seasonal Birds

3) Resident Birds

Birding Sites Philippines: Important Bird Areas (IBA)

It cannot be denied that the Philippines has a lot to offer in terms of biodiversity and natural attractions. There are numerous areas for birdwatching in the Philippines which range from wetlands to mountain ranges, to tropical rainforests, to protected areas and natural parks.

Important Bird Areas (IBA) have been identified for the conservation of globally important bird species. In the Philippines, BirdLife International and Haribon Foundation identified one hundred seventeen (117) IBAs. Some of the IBAs include:

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Palawan

The national park is home to 800 plant and 233 animal species, including the Critically Endangered Philippine Cockatoo. There are also an estimated 15 endemic species of birds found here including the Palawan Peacock Pheasant and Tabon Scrubfowl.

The main feature of this National Park is an 8.2 km underground river with spectacular limestone formations and was also declared as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

The Informational signage at the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park

 The city of Puerto Princesa is also vying to be the “Bird Capital of the Philippines”. DOT MIMAROPA regional director Danilo Intong said “We will just wait for the resolution from Puerto Princesa to reach our office so that we can work out with our principals and tourism promotions board.” Furthermore, the head of Puerto Princesa City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Atty. Carlo Gomez explained “Our basis in declaring Puerto Princesa City as the bird capital of the Philippines is because it is easy to find birds here within the urban areas, establishments, in the Underground River, and in many other sites. Our city has a total land area of 219,000 hectares that abound with different species of birds.”  | Source: goodnewspilinas.com

Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary, Cebu

Olango Island is one of the most important staging areas for migratory shorebirds like Asian Dowitcher. Other waterbird species sighted here include Eurasian Curlew and Far Eastern Curlew. Olango is also notable for the concentrations of the threatened Chinese Egret and Philippine Duck that are found there.

Find out more about Olango Island on this blog.

A trail to the observation deck at low tide at Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary | Photo by: Love4aya  | Shutter stock photo ID: 1683160423

Rajah Sikatuna National Park, Bohol

Rajah Sikatuna National Park is a popular site for birdwatchers, and there are many recent records of the threatened and restricted-range species of the Mindanao and Eastern Visayas Endemic Birds. These include all three species endemic to the Eastern Visayas: Samar Hornbill, Visayan Broadbill and Yellow-breasted Tailorbird.

It is one of only a handful of sites where the threatened Mindanao Bleeding-heart and Azure-breasted Pitta have been recorded recently. It is also home to five subspecies of birds that are endemic to Bohol such as Streaked Ground-Babbler, Black-crowned Babbler, Rufous-tailed Jungle-Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Whistler and Metallic-winged Sunbird.

Candaba Swamp, Pampanga

Candaba Swamp was formerly an extremely important staging and wintering area for ducks, especially in October and November when the swamp regularly supported between 5,000 and 10,000 birds .Several threatened waterbirds occurred there in the past, although the populations of some of these have presumably declined or disappeared. However, it still supports the only known regular wintering population of Streaked Reed-warbler in the world.

Polilio Island, Quezon

Several of the threatened and restricted-range birds of the Luzon Endemic Bird Area have been recorded in the Polillo island group. The large numbers of Philippine Duck that were recently seen on Jomalig represent an important population of this declining species, and the wetlands and marshes there and on Polillo Island are feeding areas for migrant shorebirds of more than 25 species.

The islands also support one of the few remaining populations of Philippine Cockatoo in Luzon and its satellite islands, but their numbers have clearly declined substantially there. Seven subspecies of bird are endemic to Polillo: Crested Goshawk, Blue-naped Parrot, Blue-backed Parrot, Philippine Trogon, Luzon Hornbill, Greater Flameback and White-browed Shama. Many of the small islands in the Polillo group are breeding areas for terns, pigeons and herons. Burdeos Bay may be an important feeding area for seabirds, as two species of shearwaters and hundreds of Great Crested-tern were sighted there.

Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park, Bukidnon

Mt. Kitanglad supports substantial populations of many montane forest specialists, including several which are only known from the higher mountains on Mindanao, such as Mindanao Lorikeet, Mindanao Racquet-tail, Mindanao Scops-owl, Slaty-backed Jungle-flycatcher, Red-eared Parrotfinch and Apo Myna. It is one of only three sites where the poorly known Whitehead’s Swiftlet has been recorded. There is also an important population of Philippine Eagle in this IBA. Two subspecies of birds are only recorded from these mountains, Island Thrush and Mountain Leaf-warbler.

The Philippine Eagle, an endemic bird which can be sighted in Mt. Kitanglad and Mt. Apo | Photo: Shankar s. / Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0

Mt. Apo National Park, Davao

The population of Philippine Eagle on Mt Apo has been studied in detail since the 1960s, and it remains an important site for the conservation of this critically endangered species. It is one of only three sites where the poorly known Whitehead’s Swiftlet has been recorded.

Mt Apo still supports substantial populations of many montane forest specialists, including several which are only known from a handful of the higher mountains on Mindanao, such as Slaty-backed Jungle-flycatcher, Red-eared Parrotfinch and Apo Myna. However, the lowland forests around the base of the mountains have been almost entirely cleared or degraded, and Mt Apo is unlikely to support significant populations of many of the lowland and mid-altitude forest specialists which formerly occurred there, such as Mindanao Brown-dove, Spotted Imperial-pigeon and Silvery Kingfisher.

Source: BirdLife International

Best Birding Season: Best Time for Birdwatching

The best birding season is March-April and November (especially for migratory birds).

Rainy season usually occur in July to October and extends upto December (the month with the most number of typhoons). Temperatures are also a bit cooler in December until end of January / Beginning February.

Migratory Birds Season: Annual Southward Bird Migration

The annual southward bird migration season begins in September and extends until February of the following year.

During the southward migratory bird season, the Philippines is visited by thousands of migratory birds to escape the cold weather and take refuge in warmer regions. The birds stop briefly to feed and rest in wetlands—swamps, marshes, intertidal and coastal areas, rivers, ponds, lakes, as well as forests throughout the country.  |  Source: Business Mirror

 The Philippines as a Birdwatching Destination

The bird diversity is remarkable. With the right approach and conservation efforts, the Philippines can easily become a bird watching destination. 

To do this, we must begin by protecting the birds and their habitats. Surely, the more that we take care of something, the more that it will last. If we do good, then we might attract even more birds and birdwatchers from all over the world.

Bird Holidays: Birdwatching Tour in the Philippines

Want to include an authentic and thrilling birdwatching adventure in your Philippine tour? Then, feel free to contact us. You may also comment or send us a message if there are other aspects or information that you want us to include on this blog. 🙂

Perhaps you might also be interested to read about Endemic Wildlife in the Philippines or Tropical Plants: Rare and Exotic Plants in the Philippines. We have written a good number of blogs to introduce you to Philippine biodiversity.