Puerto Princesa in Palawan is well on its way of becoming the birding capital of the Philippines. To support this initiative, the city’s greening efforts have focused on planting endemic, native, and fruit- bearing trees that promote biodiversity and provide habitats for wildlife, especially to bird species found only in Palawan.
The program focused on planting of trees such as Ingyam, Banaba, Narra, Bakawan Gubat, Agoho, Alalod, Balayong, Batino, Bignay, Bogo, Burawis, Dao, Kasoy, Langka, Malabagtik, Palawan Mangkono, Mulawin, Pangi, Pasi, Putian, Red Nato, Sahing, Siar, Tanabag, and White Nato, among others.
Narra, the national tree of the Philippines, is a hardwood that symbolizes the resilience and strength of the Filipino people. Its leaves and flowers attract numerous insects for pollination, while its fruits lure birds, rodents, and other small mammals on the rainforest floor. Other trees like Banaba, with its wrinkled purple blossoms, attracts pollinators like bees, while the Bani tree, with its canopy of bright green leaves and pink, white, or purple flowers, also provides nectar for pollinators. The Ingyam tree, for instance, offers fruits to birds that serve as their food.
Since 2015, professional bird photographers from around the Philippines, as well as enthusiasts coming from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, the United States, and Costa Rica, have gathered in Puerto Princesa every November for the International Bird Photography Race. The event coincides with the city’s celebration of the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP), which was declared as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature in 2011.
Passionate birders and ornithology enthusiasts often travel long distances driven by their desire to spot rare species. According to U.S.-based news sources, birding is part of a growing multi-billion-dollar ecotourism industry and a practical global conservation to help both birds and humans alike.
Puerto Princesa also holds an annual tree-planting event known as Pista Y ang Cagueban, or the Feast of the Forest, every last Saturday of June, a tradition that began in 1991. Its urban forestry program also enhances both the city’s bird tourism and its annual birding festival.
Bird enthusiasts never leave Puerto Princesa disappointed. The city is home to several rare and endemic species, including the Palawan Flowerpecker (Prionochilus plateni), Palawan Mangrove Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis rufigastra), Brown-throated Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis), Lovely Sunbird (Aethopyga shelleyi), Palawan Hornbill (Anthracoceros marchei), Blue Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone cyanescens), and Palawan Striped-Babbler (Zosterornis hypogrammicus), among others.
