Totally Cebu

3^rd Philippine Bird Festival

In the effort to spread awareness about the importance of preserving our wildlife, especially bird species, will host the 3^rd Philippine Bird Festival in Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino on the 21^st of September. This year, cleverly themed, “Just Watch, Don’t Catch!” will focus on the increasingly endangered species of Cebu’s exotic birds. The logo features the Cebu Flowerpecker – one of Cebu’s critically endangered birds, making it one of the nine Philippine birds that are included in the 189 bird species on the brink of extinction.

The Cebu Flowerpecker

Thought to have been extinct until a foreign amateur birdwatcher caught a glance in 1992, this tiny, blue-black and white bird with a small red patch on its back has been spotted in the forest of Tabunan, Nag-as and near Mt. Lantoy, though very rarely. In fact, this unique bird is so rarely seen that no photographs are available. If Cebu continues to progress its expansion as a city, the chance for the Cebu Flowerpeckers survival will decrease even more dramatically. And so does the other soon-to-vanish Philippine birds:

• Philippine Eagle

• Mindoro Bleeding Heart

• Negros Bleeding Heart

• Sulu Bleeding Heart

• Negros Fruit Dove

• Isabela Oriole

• Philippine Cockatoo

• Sulu Hornbill

After its efforts to acknowledge the need for saving the Philippine islands’ exotic birds at the Waterfront Cebu City, the Bird Festival will then continue its duties to Olango Island on September 22. At Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary, participants will be able to witness the arrival of the first migrant shore birds from North Asia, some of which are actually endangered. All thanks to the organization’s participation in the festival and its ever gracious sponsors, our country, not only Cebu, will be able to learn about how important it is to preserve the natural beauty of our local and national birds, especially the endangered ones.

Popularity: 2% [?]