Phyllis
the Philippine eagle
Phyllis is Furious! Although she is HUGE, awesome to behold, and the national bird of the Philippines . . . there are now only 400-700 of her kind left, due to dramatic deforestation, which has left her little place left to nest and hunt. To make matters worse, these eagles only have 1-2 chicks every two years – to make sure that their babies survive.
In fact, they now live on just four islands – making her one of the largest eagles on earth, and one of the most critically endangered.
She has a HUGE appetite as well, feasting on macaques (monkeys), palm civets (which look like a cat + a mongoose), monitor lizards, bats and other big birds (not Big Bird).
Her massive, sharp talons immobilize fast prey in their grip, then her powerful curved beak finishes them off by slicing them up!
Even Napoleon Dynamite would be shocked by the size of her talons: https://youtu.be/2TDDYK0R3Z0?si=UZgpoFG6B3tsY8Qx
In a brilliant display, Phyllis can make her head and neck feathers pop up like a shaggy lion’s mane (her crest) when she feels threatened, or if other eagles are invading her territory.
