The UP Wild

02/06/2026

Bird rescue!

This Coppersmith Barbet (𝑃𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑜𝑔𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑠) fledgling was turned over to IB and successfully freed. Apart from not being able to fly, the lack of red colouration on the head and neck tells us it's not yet full grown.

Despite often being found hopping on the ground, fledgling birds are not orphaned or in need of help, unless predators like cats and dogs are nearby. Chances are, the parents are nearby and they will periodically fly down to feed them. If a cat or dog is around though, then leaving the fledgling on the nearest tree branch is a good way to keep them out of harm's way.

Let's support our young birds as they find their wings!

31/05/2026

Look at the lush fruits!

This Bignay (𝐴𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑚𝑎 𝑏𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑢𝑠) tree in the Institute of Biology parking lot is once more gracing the campus with its numerous and colourful berries! Every year during summer, it produces spherical, light green fruits that turn red, purple, and eventually black, signalling full ripeness to birds and other frugivores that a feast is ready. The fruits also don't ripen simultaneously, creating a visual treat with green unripe fruits mixing with the colours of berries in more advanced stages of ripeness. While edible also to humans, bignay fruits are more commonly used to make the Bignay wine and jam that are commonly sold to tourists in various souvenir shops around the Philippines.

Aren't native trees amazing?

28/05/2026

In time for Flores de Mayo, catch the Plant MorphoARTnatomy Exhibit at the Institute of Biology, UPD!

Artworks displayed are made by biology students, showcasing their creativity in representing the morphology and anatomy of plants.

Visit the exhibit until 24 july.

22/05/2026

Spot the bird!

This Hooded Pitta (𝑃𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑎 𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑎) was spotted in the campus this week by a student! Hooded pittas are passerine birds with a preference for nesting and foraging on the ground, where their favoured prey of worms, insects, and berries are abundant. They normally prefer forested areas where they lurk among trees while going about their day. Due to this habitat preference, they are not often seen on campus though they have been frequently reported the relatively nearby La Mesa Ecopark in Fairview, Quezon City. We are lucky this individual chose to stop by and forage inside UPD.

Let's keep UP wild and green for our native animals!

Photo by Alfredo Michael E. Camacho Jr.

18/05/2026

Found a "baby bird"? Before you "rescue", check first!

This time of year, we often receive reports of young birds that seem to have fallen from their nests. However, not every bird on the ground needs a human "savior."

Here is how to tell the difference:

1. Fledgling (Yellow-vented Bulbul) 🐥
In the first photo, the bird is a fledgling or a young bird that has recently grown its flight feathers and started to wander off the nest. The parents are usually nearby, watching and feeding it.

What to do: Leave it alone! It is simply learning to be independent.

2. Nestling (Eurasian Tree Sparrow or Maya) 🐣
In the second photo, the chick fell from its makeshift nest in the ceiling. We can tell that it is too young to be out as its feathers are not yet fully grown. It couldn't fly nor hop around and has a very prominent gape (the yellow soft part around the beak, characteristics of a nestling.

What to do: Bring it back to its nest and/or move it away from danger.
However, in this case, we couldn't reach the nest to place it back, and leaving it alone on the ground exposes it to cats and passers-by who may accidentally step on it. Hence, we placed the chick inside an open box placed near the original nest. Thankfully, the parent birds were seen feeding the chick after some time.

Next time you see a baby bird on the ground, check first!

14/05/2026

Nature walk on Saturday! Sign up na!

*note: JC's vine flowers in the poster are already gone.

𝐏𝐒𝐀 ‼️ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐂’𝐬 𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲! 🥹

Check out these gorgeous flowers at the UPIB-EDC BINHI Threatened Species Arboretum 🌳 at the UP Institute of Biology! It can even be seen at the waiting shed between the institute and the Philippine Genome Center.

Did you know? This woody vine can grow up to 1️⃣8️⃣ meters long!

But if you can’t make it to see it at its peak, don’t worry! 😉

This May, the UP Zoological Society 🦉 will be holding another Nature Walk titled 🪷🌼🌷🌺 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐙𝐒 𝐝𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐨 🌹🌸🌻🪻 featuring blooms from many other Philippine native plants around the campus you don’t want to miss!

Follow our page and be the first to know when slots open! 🔔🤩


💛🖤

Pub by: Clark Montesor, Lydia Cabanlig
Caption by: Cy Licuanan, Danie Cabrera, DY

10/05/2026

Look at this cute birb!

You've probably seen this dove walking around campus. They are Zebra doves (𝐺𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑎), commonly known as bato-bato. While they are capable of flight, they prefer spending a lot of time on the ground, walking in search of grass seeds and small invertebrates that make up their diet. In fact, their genus name "𝐺𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑎" is derived from the Greek words for ground "Geo" and dove "peleia".

They are normally a scrub and grassland species but have adapted well to urban environments and are one of the most common birds seen in cities around the Philippines, including our own UPD campus here in Quezon City. Let's hope that native wildlife continue to call UPD home!

Thank you to Peter Daniel Fraginal for this video!

06/05/2026

It's that season again when 'snow' falls in UP.

Kapok (/Ceiba pentandra/) is often mistaken as the cotton tree due to the 'bulak' fibers of its fruit (see picture). However, although kapok fibers are collected and used as fillings of pillow or stuffed toys by households, it is not exactly cotton and only a relative of the real cotton tree /Gossypium/ species where the commercial cotton fibers come from.

Did you know? The light fibers of the fruit actually help carry the black seeds away from the parent tree. So when you see it snow in campus, it is basically kapok babies being dispersed.

Kapok is an introduced species to the Philippines. The native counterpart is the Malabulak (/Bombax ceiba/)

03/05/2026

Meet 𝐿𝑦𝑠𝑠𝑎 𝑧𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑎, the Tropical swallowtail moth! They are native to the Philippines and nearby countries in South and Southeast Asia, though adults may sometimes migrate in search of nectar and plant hosts for their larvae.

They are known to be active both day and night, unlike other members of its genus, resulting in more frequent sightings of this elegant moth. Unfortunately, they are still attracted to bright lights, resulting in them being trapped inside buildings and cities while migrating due to the abundance of artificial light sources. Let's hope this individual finds their way to the green spaces of UP Diliman!

29/04/2026

The JC's vine near the Institute of Biology is attracting not only people, but also many insects like this cutie patootie bee! 🐝

In this video, the bee seems to be struggling to fit inside the flowers to reach the pollen, which is located at the end of a narrow 'fang'. This seemingly inaccessible anther (i.e., male part that produces the pollen) suggests a specialist pollinator, one that is small enough to enter the flower or one that has a feeding instrument /mouthpart that allows access to the pollen.

Based on previous observations, the colasisi or Philippine hanging parrot might fit the bill of the mystery pollinator, but more studies are required to understand the pollination system of this flower. One thing's for sure: this butt-wagging chonky bee doesn't quite fit.

✨ BEE bold and BEE strong ✨
Video by Carmela Española