Philippine Islands – Discover the beauty of its 7,107 islands

“OBSERVE intently the birds of heaven, because they do not sow seed or reap or gather into storehouses; still your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they are?” (Matthew 6:26) Jesus Christ said these words in a famous sermon given on a mountainside near the Sea of Galilee. His audience was not limited to his followers. A great crowd of potential disciples from all parts of the land were present. Many of them were poor people who had brought the sick for Jesus to cure.—Matthew 4:23–5:2; Luke 6:17-20.

Having cured all the ailing ones, Jesus gave attention to the more important spiritual needs. Among the lessons he taught was the one mentioned above.

The birds of heaven have been in existence for a long time. Some of them feed on insects, others on fruit and seeds. If God has made available such abundant provisions for

The Common Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, also known as Eurasian Kingfisher or River Kingfisher,is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies identified within its wide distribution across. Eurasia and North Africa. It is inhabitant in much of its range, but migrates from areas where rivers freeze in winter.


This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed kingfisher profile; it has blue upperparts, orange underparts and a long bill. It feeds mainly on fish, caught by diving, and has special visual adaptions to enable it to see prey under water. The glossy white eggs are laid in a nest at the end of a burrow in a riverbank.

This species has the typical short-tailed, dumpy-bodied large-headed and long-billed kingfisher shape. The adult male of the western European subspecies, A. a. ispida has green-blue upperparts with pale azure-blue back and rump, a rufous patch by the bill base,

LOVERS of wildlife are pained at its wanton destruction by thoughtless individuals. Here in the Philippines we may be nearing the point of saying good-bye to another bird. Sadly, it is a rare species, found nowhere else in the world.

People who study birds call the endangered creature Pithecophaga jefferyi. The first of these terms means ‘ape eating,’ referring to the peculiar diet of this bird. Live monkeys are a frequent item on its menu. This flying creature is known popularly as “the monkey-eating eagle.”

A closeup view of this bird is impressive. When adult, it measures three and a half feet (one meter) from bill to tail, with a wingspread of ten feet (three meters). Many view the ‘monkey eater’ as the largest of the eagle family (though the harpy eagle of America may be heavier). The male of this species features rich-brown feathers on