It’s a happy time for Philippine wildlife—the Philippine Eagle Foundation announced the 29th chick just hatched earlier this week.
Chick no. 29 arrived 25 hours and 13 minutes after it first poked its beak out of the egg.
“Seems like a long time, but actually it is the fastest pip-to-hatch record in our breeding program. This chick just couldn’t wait to say hello to the world,” the foundation wrote on Facebook.
The newest chick comes five years after the last eaglet, Sakura, was hatched at the Philippine Eagle Center.
Chick no. 29 is the offspring of eagle parents Ariela and MVP Matatag, the adoptees of Ariela Marketing Co. and PLDT respectively.
His hatching is a welcome development in the conservation of Philippine eagles, one of the rarest birds in the world.
Found only in the Philippines, these eagles take five to seven years to sexually mature and only lay a single egg every two years.
There are about 400 pairs of Philippine eagles in the wild, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
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