Good news, top predator Brontok eagles hatch on Curiak Island

Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Brontok eagle (Spizaetus cirrhatus), which is a population of endangered animals at the Bekantan Research Station and the Wetlands Ecosystem in Curiak Island in Barito Kuala District managed by the Sahabat Bekantan Indonesia (SBI) Foundation and Lambung Mangkurat University has grown to six.

In the beginning of August 2019, two hatchlings of eagles had hatched. The presence of the eagle was very encouraging for Ambar Pertiwi as the head of the proboscis research station as said in a press-release sent to Antara News on Monday (2/9).

"The hatching of the baby eagle certainly brings good news for us considering the population of the brontok eagle in nature is declining. This is the second hatching after last year," she said.

According to Ambar, Brontok hawk only pair up in the breeding season, outside of that time they are often found roaming alone in open forests in the Curiak Island area, and are often even seen near the surrounding farms of local residents hunting for prey from mammals, poultry and even reptiles. Brontok hawks are one of the top predators who also prey on proboscis calfs on Curiak Island.

With the presence of the Brontok eagle in the area of this research station, it becomes a biological wealth in the wetland ecosystem. Three types of eagles often found in the station area, such as the Bondol eagle (Haliastur indus), mouse eagle (Elanus caeruleus) and brontok, but only the brontok makes a nest on Curiak Island.

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Professor Matt Hayward from the University of Newcastle (UoN), Australia, was very interested in the presence of the eagle. He would withstand to soak in the Curiak river just to observe and take photos of the behavior of the eagle Brontok while it was feeding babies.

"Incredibly, I am very fortunate to be able to see firsthand the existence of a brontok eagle in nature and this is an interesting experience," said Prof. Matt Hayward, the lecturer in Environmental and Life Sciences at UON Australia.

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Meanwhile SBI Chair Amalia Rezeki said, there was a pair of eagle who laid eggs and managed to hatch safely at the beginning of August 2019 in the area of the research station.

After hatching, her side conducts surveillance and security around the nest so that the newborn eagles are not disturbed, both from humans and other predators. In addition, she also observed each growth with the SBI research team.