extremely rare eagle killed

A rare Philippine eagle on the bring of extinction has been killed by a falling branch at a conservation centre.

The 15-year-old male bird called Arakan was crushed to death while sitting in his cage at the Philippine Eagle Foundation in Mindanao.

The raptor - which means bird of prey - is listed as "critically endangered" by the Swiss-based International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Experts believe that there are just 250 adult Philippine eagles left in the wild.

Conservationists are trying to breed them in captivity to bring the species back from the brink of extinction.

Heavy rain had fallen on the conservation centre in the south of the island and caused the branch to fall on poor Arakan.

The breed is known as the Monkey-Eating Eagle and is one of the largest birds of prey in the world, with a two metre wingspan.