Our surprised-looking friend is one of the seven subspecies of hawk-owls that can only be found in the Philippines. Our friend was tagged, measured and released right after by Haribon biologists during a biological survey in the Central Panay Mountain Range, Panay Island as part of a project to protect their remaining forests and wildlife.
Owls are nighttime predators whose feathers are designed to muffle the sound of them swooping down on their unsuspecting prey. They’re practically ninjas to rodents that become food before they even know what got them.