Travel and Tourism Articles in the Philippines

Browse our hundreds of travel and tourism articles about fantastic destinations in the Philippines. Know more about our culture and marvel at the richness and beauty of our country.

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Mindanao Lorikeet

Mindanao Lorikeet

by Xtian Mack on November 16, 2012
The Mindanao Lorikeet is about 20 cm (8 in) long. It is mainly green with yellow transverse striations on its front. Its face is red and there is a dark purple band around its head. There is extensive yellow areas on the lower surface of its wings. Its legs are greenish-grey. The beak is orange, the eye-ring is dark grey, the irises are red. Male and female are identical in external appearance. Juveniles have less red on their faces and the purple headband is replaced with a brownish area behind the eye, their eye-rings are pale grey, their irises are brown, and the beak is dark brown.
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Philippine Green Parrot

Philippine Green Parrot

by Xtian Mack on November 16, 2012
The Blue-naped Parrot (Tanygnathus lucionensis), also known as the Blue-crowned Green Parrot, Luzon Parrot, the Philippine Green Parrot, and locally known as Pikoy, is a parrot found throughout the Philippines including the Talaud Islands and islands off north and east Borneo (with introduced population in Borneo itself, e.g. Kota Kinabalu). It is a medium size parrot (31 cm), primarily green except for a light blue rear crown and nape, pale blue lower back and rump, scalloped shoulders with orange-brown on black coverts, and blackish underwings with green underwing coverts.
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Philippine Cockatoo or Kalangay

Philippine Cockatoo or Kalangay

by Xtian Mack on November 15, 2012
The Philippine Cockatoo or Kalangay, or Red-vented Cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia), is a critically endangered species of cockatoo that is endemic to the Philippines. It is roughly the size and shape of the Tanimbar Corella, but is easily distinguished by the red feathers around the vent.
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Luzon Bleeding-heart Dove

Luzon Bleeding-heart Dove

by Xtian Mack on November 15, 2012
The Luzon Bleeding-heart (Gallicolumba luzonica) is one of a number of species of ground dove in the genus Gallicolumba that are called "bleeding-hearts." They get this name from a splash of vivid red color at the centre of their white breasts. The Luzon Bleeding-heart is the species in which this feature is most pronounced, and on first sight it is hard to believe that the bird has not recently been wounded. A reddish hue that extends down the belly furthers the illusion of blood having run down the bird's front.
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Calayan Rail

Calayan Rail

by Xtian Mack on November 15, 2012
The Calayan Rail is one of the 20 known extant flightless rails. It is small and dark brown, with a distinctive orange-red bill and legs, and utters loud, harsh calls. Its habitat seems to be restricted to forests on coralline limestone areas on Calayan and extends to a total of less than 100 kmĀ². Biologists estimate that there may be 200 pairs on the island.
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Luzon Buttonquail

Luzon Buttonquail

by Xtian Mack on November 15, 2012
The Luzon Buttonquail or Worcester's Buttonquail (Turnix worcesteri) is a species of bird in the Turnicidae family. It is endemic to the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland. Locally known as "pugo," they are known to inhabit rice paddies and scrub lands near farm areas because of the availability of seeds and insects that they feed on regularly. These birds are characterized by their black heads with white spots, a brown or fawn colored body and yellow legs on males and the females are brown with white and black spots. These birds are very secretive, choosing to make small pathways through the rice fields, which unfortunately leads to their deaths as well. They are hunted by children and young men by means of setting spring traps along their usual path ways.
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Palawan Peacock-Pheasant

Palawan Peacock-Pheasant

by Xtian Mack on November 15, 2012
The Palawan Peacock-Pheasant, Polyplectron napoleonis, is a medium-sized (up to 50 cm long) bird in the family Phasianidae. It was long known as Polyplectron emphanum (Dickinson 2001). The male is the handsomest and most peacock-like member of the genus Polyplectron. It has an erectile crest, a white stripe over the eyes and highly iridescent metallic green and black plumage. The tail feathers are decorated with large blue-green ocelli, which may be spread fanlike in courtship displays. The female is smaller than the male. It has a dark brown plumage with a short crest and is whitish on the throat, cheeks and eyebrows.
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Philippine Eagle

Philippine Eagle

by Xtian Mack on November 15, 2012
The Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), also known as the Monkey-eating Eagle, is an eagle of the family Accipitridae that is endemic to forests in the Philippines. It has brown and white-coloured plumage, and a shaggy crest, and generally measures 86 to 102 cm (2 ft 10 in to 3 ft 4 in) in length and weighs 4.7 to 8 kilograms (10 to 18 lb). It is considered the largest of the extant eagles in the world in terms of length, with the Steller's Sea Eagle and the Harpy Eagle being larger in terms of weight and bulk. Among the rarest and most powerful birds in the world, it has been declared the Philippine national bird. It is critically endangered, mainly due to massive loss of habitat due to deforestation in most of its range. Killing a Philippine Eagle is punishable under Philippine law by twelve years in jail and heavy fines.
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Philippine Serpent Eagle

Philippine Serpent Eagle

by Xtian Mack on November 15, 2012
The Philippine Serpent Eagle (Spilornis holospilus) is an eagle found in the major islands of the Philippines. It is sometimes treated as a race of the Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela). This species is usually found in forest clearings, open woodlands, and sometimes in cultivated lands with scattered trees.
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Philippine Warty Pig

Philippine Warty Pig

by Xtian Mack on November 15, 2012
The Philippine Warty Pig, Sus philippensis, is one of four known pig species endemic to the Philippines. The other three endemic species are the Visayan Warty Pig (S. cebifrons), Mindoro Warty Pig (S. oliveri) and the Palawan Bearded Pig (S. ahoenobarbus), also being rare members of the Suidae family. Philippine Warty Pigs have two pairs of warts, with a tuft of hair extending outwards from the warts closest to the jaw.
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