MINDORO, PHILIPPINES — September 2026 — After two decades without a confirmed photographic record, the critically endangered Mindoro bleeding-heart (Gallicolumba platenae) has been captured by a camera trap in the forests of Mindoro.
The August 2026 photograph confirms that this elusive Philippine endemic continues to survive and provides a valuable opportunity to better understand its current distribution and remaining habitat. Remarkably, the individual was recorded above 900 meters in elevation, well beyond the species’ historically documented range.
The record emerged from an Indigenous-led conservation effort within the Iraya Mangyan ancestral domain, carried out through the partnership of the Iraya Mangyan communities and the Center for Conservation Innovation Ph, Inc. (CCIPH) under the Mindoro Forest and Biodiversity Conservation Programme.
The discovery offers hope, but also highlights the urgent need to protect and restore Mindoro’s remaining forests. For a species that has remained largely unseen for 20 years, this photograph is more than a rediscovery—it is a reminder that the heart of Mindoro’s rarest bird is still beating.
Read the full information here: Mindoro-Bleeding-heart-Newsletter
