LOOK: 4 'Ibong Adarna' Spotted by DENR in Mt. Apo

(SPOT.ph) They’re the stuff of Pinoy literature, for decades a required reading in school and known to generations of Filipino children only in 2D. But in the Philippines’ highest peak, they’re as real as the foliage where they lurk. And sometimes, on a good day, they make themselves seen to the mortals below.

The Philippine Trogon (Harpactes ardens), the bird species associated with the Ibong Adarna, made its presence felt recently at the Mt. Apo Natural Park (MANP) in Cotabato with sightings of four of its kind, only the second time since its discovery on the mountain in 2023.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) regional office in Soccsksargen said the birds were spotted during a Biodiversity Monitoring System (BMS) activity held in Mt. Apo from April 22 to 27. The BMS team got to capture the four Ibong Adarnas in photos, showing the birds in their vividly colored feathers and beaks, from yellow and blue to pink and red.

“The Philippine Trogon, locally known as Arak by the Obo Monuvu people of Mt. Apo, is the sole species of trogon endemic to the Philippines. Despite its classification as a species of Least Concern under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Philippine Trogon holds immense cultural and ecological significance within the Mt. Apo Natural Park (MANP) and throughout the region,” DENR Soccsksargen said in a Facebook post.

A Beloved Bird Species 

The Philippine Trogon is associated with the mythical Ibong Adarna for its vibrant colors. PHOTO BY DENR Soccsksargen (Facebook)

The bird species, popular for their bright colors, are endemic to the Philippines. They are elusive and are known to live in darker parts of the forests, their natural habitat.

The Ibong Adarna is known to Filipinos as the mythical bird in the Spanish colonial era poem Korrido at Buhay na Pinagdaanan ng Tatlong Prinsipeng Magkakapatid na anak ni Haring Fernando at ni Reyna Valeriana sa Kahariang Berbanya, whose authorship remains disputed until today.

The bird is a central character in the poem. It is said to hold healing powers, for which three royal brothers of the Kingdom of Berbania went on a quest to save their father, the King. Whoever gets the bird first will take the crown.

The story has been many times retold in film, most recently the 2014 Jun Urbano epic Ibong Adarna: The Pinoy Adventure. The Ibong Adarna has also appeared in fashion, with Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray wearing a gown inspired by the bird at the pageant’s preliminaries.

The DENR said the Ibong Adarna holds a special place for the Obo Monuvu people, who serve as custodians of Mt. Apo’s  ancestral lands. It said the indigenous community has “long revered the bird species as a symbol of their connection to the environment.”

The bird sightings help biodiversity experts gauge the condition of Mt. Apo’s ecosystem, the DENR said.

“…[T]he presence of the Philippine Trogon serves as an indicator of overall ecosystem health. Its sensitivity to habitat disturbances and environmental changes makes it a valuable bioindicator species,” it said.

“Conservation efforts are guided by the ongoing monitoring of the Trogon’s habitat preferences and population trends, providing significant insight into the present condition of the MANP’s ecosystems,” the DENR said.

The Mt. Apo Natural Park is a protected area under the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act and is recognized as an ASEAN Heritage Park.