23/05/2026
Leyte bleeding-heart bird
โ๐๐ผ๐๐โ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด-๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ-๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐
SAN MIGUEL, LEYTE โ Distinct and mysterious, deeply connected to the forests of Leyte, the โlostโ Leyte bleeding-heart has now been photographed.
Rare and long-considered elusive, the Leyte bleeding-heart (๐๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ช๐ค๐ฐ๐ญ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ข ๐ค๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข ๐ญ๐ฆ๐บ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด๐ช๐ด) was photographed in the Leyte Sab-a Basin Peatland (LSBP) Hydrological Unit. This may be the first documented sighting of the subspecies on the island, with the photo serving as its first contemporary and publicly known evidence in more than a century.
A ground-dwelling and forest-dependent dove, the Leyte bleeding-heart is characterized by a red patch on its chest and highly cryptic behavior in dense understory and leaf-litter habitats.
The last recorded sighting of the bird in Leyte was way back in 1918. Having no widely recognized photo of the subspecies, scientists relied on earlier notes from ornithologist Ernst Hartert for leads to the Leyte bleeding-heart. While records of bleeding-heart doves exist in other islands, like Bohol and Samar, these have often been attributed to other subspecies, such as the Mindanao bleeding-heart (๐๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ช๐ค๐ฐ๐ญ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ข ๐ค๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข ๐ค๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข).
๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
The photograph was taken by Marvin Jay Sarmiento and his team during biodiversity monitoring activities under the LUYON project. A four-year project, co-managed by the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) and Visayas State University Alangalang, LUYON aims to raise and inspire local awareness and action towards peatland restoration.
As part of the project, biodiversity assessments are conducted to record what species of flora and fauna reside within the peatlandโs unique ecosystem. Previous assessments revealed that LSBP housed several endangered species, like the Philippine Tarsier, Samar Hornbill, and Blue-naped Parrot.
Sarmiento and his team recounted the challenge of taking the photo. โPure blood and sweat po ng team,โ he shared, โImagine spending 7 to 9 hours of silence each day for 5 days straight, waiting beneath heavy rain-soaked canopies. Hunger, insect bites, sleepless nights on sloping ground, and cameras wrapped in trash bags just to survive the weather.โ
Sarmiento added, โThere were moments we nearly gave up, moments we dozed off from exhaustionโbut the research expedition has always been about patience, grit, and believing that nature reveals itself only to those willing to endure.โ
Their persistence was rewarded with the rare privilege of witnessing the bird scurrying through the wet forest floor, as it foraged for seeds and fallen fruit.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
The sighting not only confirms the speciesโ continued presence in the island, it also confirms that the LSBP supports the specific conditions for the species to thrive. With the looming threats of hunting and deforestation, LSBP may serve as one of the few viable habitats for the Leyte bleeding-heart, making it even more important to protect.
Unfortunately, the peatland is in a state of degradation. Decades of land conversion and drainage have left the peatland dry and susceptible to peat fires, contributing to further environmental disturbances and habitat loss. Last April, catastrophic peat fires ravaged through LSBP and Agusan Marsh, renewing urgent calls to enact a national peatlands policy.
In response, LUYON is working alongside LGUs, NGAs, CSOs, and NGOs to promote peatland-friendly policies and engage communities in restoration activities, such as rewetting and revegetation activities, to rescue degraded areas.
With the rediscovery of the Leyte bleeding-heart, the LUYON project team calls on all Leyteรฑos to join in raising awareness and supporting efforts to conserve the islandโs unique and precious peatlands and watersheds for generations to come.
Photo Credits: Marvin Jay Sarmiento
๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ก
Funded by Reversing Environmental Degradation in Africa and Asia (REDAA), LUYON is a four-year project, aiming to enhance local stewardship of the Leyte Sab-a Basin Peatland. REDAA is funded by UK International Development from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and managed by IIED.
