Photo from DENR Soccsksargen Facebook page
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 8 March) – The three chicks rescued by a farmer at a sugarcane plantation in Barangay Katiko, President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat last Wednesday were juvenile Black-winged kites or Black-shouldered kites, Dr. Jayson Ibañez, Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) director for operations, said.
Ibanez told MindaNews on Thursday that Black-winged kites are categorized as species of “least concern.”
Species under this category are evaluated as “not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild,” according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Based on the report published on birdlife.org, the population trend of Black-winged kites remains stable and does not approach the thresholds for “vulnerable” under the population trend criterion.
Birdlife International, a global partnership of non-government organizations, reported that there are no major threats to the species, except for the “use of rodenticides and pesticides,” as their diet mostly comprises, among others, grassland mammals, reptiles, and birds and insects.
A press release issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Soccsksargen on Thursday said the juvenile Black-winged kites were turned over to the City Environment of Natural Resources Office (CENRO) by Jerry Amoloy, who rescued the birds.
It said local environmental officials immediately responded after a video of Amoloy went viral on social media. They retrieved the rescued wildlife from Amoloy, and placed them at the Wildlife Rescue Center of DENR-Soccsksargen for proper care and evaluation.
In a viral video, Amoloy said he found the juvenile birds while cutting sugarcane stalks and immediately took them as they were being preyed on by some crows.
Dirie P. Macabaning, head of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office in Sultan Kudarat, said the successful rescue operation showed the importance of cooperation between government agencies and citizens in safeguarding wildlife. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
