TWO RARE Mindanao bleeding-heart pigeons (Gallicolumba crinigera) were sighted at the foothills of the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary (MHRWS) on July 29, 2026.
The Protected Area Management Office (PAMO) of the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary reported prior to the confirmed sighting, the species had already been observed by chance in the same area by a biodiversity monitoring intern between June and July this year.
The intern reported witnessing a male individual perform a courtship display toward a female, indicating possible breeding activity within the sanctuary.
The intern relayed the sighting to sanctuary personnel, prompting closer monitoring that led to the July 29 observation.
DENR XI noted that the last confirmed sighting of the species within the sanctuary prior to this record was on Aug. 8, 2019.
The Mindanao bleeding-heart is a ground-dwelling dove of the pigeon family Columbidae, endemic to the Philippines, found across Mindanao, Basilan, Samar, Leyte, Bohol, and the Dinagat Islands.
The pigeon inhabits in primary and secondary tropical lowland rainforests at elevations of up to 750 meters above sea level. It is one of five endemic bleeding-heart dove species in the Philippines, each restricted to specific island groups.
Under the Updated National List of Threatened Philippine Fauna and their Categories (DENR Administrative Order No. 2019-09), the species is classified as Vulnerable, meaning it faces a high risk of population decline in the wild if existing threats continue.
“This prompts strengthened law enforcement against illegal wildlife trade, and implementing sustained conservation measures to support the species’ long-term survival and recovery,” DENR XI said.
The documentation of this elusive avifauna species was included in the ongoing Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring System jointly undertaken by the PAMO of the (MHRWS) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Region XI (DENR-XI), through its Conservation and Development Division–Protected Area Management and Biodiversity Conservation Section.
Photo courtesy of PAMBCS/Kemuel Libre
