On August 20, 2020, ten (10) heads of captive-bred Luzon bleeding-heart pigeons made their way back to the Philippines from Singapore. Produced by the initial two (2) pairs of the species brought to Singapore in 2012 as part of the conservation-breeding efforts of the DENR, Avilon Zoo and the Jurong Bird Park (JBP), the progenies will soon be released in a protected area within the species’ natural range in Luzon.
Junior Animal Care Officer, JBP (center) and Dr. Luis Neves, Director of Zoology, Wildlife Reserves Singapore (left).
Aptly named Luzon bleeding-heart pigeon, these birds possess a bright red patch on its breast that extend down to their belly, thus earning its monicker. The species decline is mostly attributed to poaching and continued loss of its forest habitats. As such, it is listed as Vulnerable (Vu) under the National List of Threatened Fauna (DAO 2019-09). The Luzon bleeding-heart is one of five (5) species of bleeding-heart pigeons found in the country, all of which are island endemics. These include the Mindoro bleeding-heart, Negros bleeding-heart, Sulu bleeding-heart and the Mindanao bleeding-heart