Let’s Get Closer with Bondol Eagle

Bondol eagle is one of all kind of eagle. This eagle’s size is medium 43-51 centimeters, has a width wings and round when it flaps. The head, neck, and chest is white and all of the body is brown, the end of the fur is black, and the toe is yellow. In their child, all of the body is brown with white cross line. This species spreads in India, South China, Indonesia, and Australia. Basically in Indonesia, the spread is in Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Bali, Sulawesi, South East Nusa, Maluku, and Papua. In Borneo, we can meet so much of Bondol Eagle.

Bondol Eagle is similar with vulture than meat-eating bird. But this bird is also eating small thing like fish, crab, shell, frog, reptile, and insect. Bondol Eagle is hunting over the sea and land. This bird flies on 20-50 meters high above surface. Bondol Eagle catches their target using their claw, not sailing under the sea. Bondol Eagle is also eating carcass and rest of food so it is usually to see them in harbor and fish processing place. Even though carcass eaters, Bondol Eagle is not passive hunter. He is also hunter his target from along near and identifying the weakness of his target. He also can hunter for sea eagle white chest for stealing food. Bondol Eagle is eating their target in the sky to avoiding theft.

How They Are Life?

He is usually live-alone, but can make colonies till 35 tails when they are in the area full of their food. When they are around their nest, they are occasionally shows the behavior of flying up quickly interspersed with the movement of hanging in the air, then dipping sharply with the wings folded and done repeatedly. Fly low above the water surface to hunt for food, but sometimes also wait for prey while perching on trees walking on the ground looking for ants or small insect. There are five subs of them which globally known such as indus, Blyth intermedius, girrenera, Codon flavirostris, and Amadon

The best habitat for this bird is in side of sea like mangrove forest, river estuary and beach side. He will breed in January-August, and May-July. It will broach during 28-35 days. The kids will leave the cage after 40-56 days and learn to fly after 2 months.

This bird is on least concern. It cause of high hunter and less-care of society over Bondol Eagle. Less open green room, pesticide over using, and less health river where the fish living as bird’s food are contribute to decreasing Bondol Eagle’s extinct. The government is already did their duty to catch the black trading hunter of this bird in Borneo and Sumatra, and build the conservation to minimize this bird from extinct.

Some Fun Fact

Since 1989, Bondol Eagle and Salak Condet claimed as Jakarta’s icon. Why they choose Bondol Eagle as the icon? Its mean is Bondol Eagle can live so long way. This bird is also living originally in Jakarta. Bondol Eagle symbolize of diligent and dynamic. In their lives, Bondol Eagle sometimes has to hurt their self to survive. The unstoppable growth has to put off when the times coming. And also his beak which is can growth until his chest has to break down to put it off. But it is naturally process that has to face with them.

The Efforts to Gain Them

Bondol Eagle has to live in side of Jakarta now. It is in Pulau Kotok and Pulau Pramuka, Kepulauan Seribu. This is one of all way to minimalize their extinct. Not only Pulau Seribu, the area which also using for conservation of Bondol Eagle is un Nature Tour Park of Danau Matano, Danau Towuti, and Danau Mahalona in South Sulawesi. Since 2004, Pulau Kotok Besar has already being conservation and rehabilitation of Bondol Eagle. In 2016, the center of rehabilitation of Bondol Eagle in Pulau Kotok still caring for 39 Bondol Eagles and relinquishing 69 of Bondol Eagles into wild nature to balancing the population. In this place, the bird will caring until feels ready to relinquished.

There are so many Bondol Eagle which confiscated by black trading. They are defective Bondol Eagle. In black trading, they were mixed with another animal and infected H5N1 virus. There are also many Bondol Eagle which can’t to take back on their nature because defective condition. The government also protecting Bondol Eagle by their rules as said in rules number 5 in the years 1990 about ‘Nature Source Conservation and their Ecosystem, rules number 7 in the years 1999 about preservation of flora and fauna, said that every family of eagles is protected.

  • Conserving

According the data of Jakarta Animal Aid Network, Bondol Eagle in Kepulauan Seribu is 25 now from survey during 2013. It causes of over hunting and illegal claiming. They are hope that society can inform that illegal claiming also contribute to Bondol Eagle extinct.

In Langkat, North Sumatra, North Sumatra Center for Conservation of Natural Resources was relinquishing 7 Bondol Eagles to Karang Gading Wildlife Reserve in Selotong Village, Secanggang District, Langkat Regency, on June 2018. This relinquishing purposed to breeding into wild nature because it almost extinct. Four of them are voluntary submission by citizens, and three of them are confiscated by operation. All of them are already rehabilitation on Caring Animal Centre in Sibolangit, Deli Serdang before relinquishing. Karang Gading Wildlife choose because directly adjacent to the sea, suitable with original habitat of Bondol Eagle.

Not only caused by illegal clamming, over hunter, and losing habitat, the reclamation of Jakarta’s cove also threating Bondol Eagle. The project reclamation 17 lands in Jakarta’s cove disturbing the habitat of Bondol Eagle. General Director Conservation of Nature Source and Ecosystem said that Jakarta’s cove reclamation will be effect to ecosystem, including Bondol Eagle. In this conservation area, there are many big cages to protecting 26 Bondol Eagles, 10 Sea Eagles, and 1 Fish Eagle Grey. Obviously, relocation this big cage can’t do easily. From this project, Bondol Eagle lost his original habitat and ecosystem. We are surely hope that the government to find the solution of this problem. As we know, the Bondol Eagle will relinquish into their wildlife. If their original wildlife is gone, how can they are to survive in the world? We know that Bondol Eagle can’t be forever in conservation and we can’t care them forever because they are not in original life. But to solving that fact, we have to preparing their original place. We need to caring people, so does for fauna and flora. Don’t let government that has protected them instead indirectly endangering them.

Another Fun Fact

Move from hard fact above, Bondol Eagle is using as mascot in Asian Paralympic 2018 in Jakarta. It symbolize as fantastic spirit and energy from disability athletes who came to Indonesia. The mascot named as Momo which abbreviation of motivation and mobility. Bondol Eagle is also known as strong and brave bird. From that explanation, we hope that the athletes have same strong and brave like Bondol Eagle. We have to appreciate this, and also hope from this event, people can informed that Bondol Eagle is one of animal which has to protect.