Antique spotlights endangered bird found only in the Philippines

Dulungan, the province’s official bird since 2000, is celebrated every August.

The province of Antique is holding a month-long celebration for the rufous-headed hornbill, locally known as Dulungan, to campaign for the protection of the endemic bird.

The Dulungan live in the rainforests of Negros and Panay, and are called the “farmers of the forest” for being frugivores that disperse seeds, helping in maintaining the forests.

While the male Dulungan can be distinguished by their reddish feathers, the females have a black neck and head. They are a monogamous species.

The endemic bird faces various threats such as hunting, and loss of habitat due to infrastructure development, logging and mining. 

While the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species listed the Dulungan as critically-endangered since 1994, in 2025 it was re-assessed to the endangered category. Still, the population trend is declining with 1,000-3,000 mature individuals.

The province of Antique continues to promote awareness and conservation efforts for the Dulungan, declaring it as their official provincial bird in 2000, and enacting every August as Dulungan Month in 2020.

A month-long exhibit on the Dulungan is hosted at their new provincial capitol, while a bird count activity in various towns will also be held to help document its population.