The recent rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker in Arkansas has brought excitement to the birding world. This large woodpecker was thought to have gone extinct in the 1940s due to habitat loss, but a few sightings in recent decades sparked hope that some individuals may have survived. In 2004, a video supposedly showing an ivory-billed woodpecker in Arkansas renewed interest in finding this elusive bird.
What is the ivory-billed woodpecker?
The ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) is one of the largest woodpeckers in the world, measuring 16-19 inches long with a wingspan of 30 inches. Nicknamed the “Lord God Bird” for its impressive size and beauty, this woodpecker has brilliant white plumage on its neck and beak, with contrasting black feathers on its wings and back.
The ivory-billed woodpecker was once found across the southeastern United States, ranging through mature forests in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and the Carolinas. It prefers to make its home in swampy woodlands with large hardwood trees, particularly bald cypress. Its powerful chisel-like bill allows it to bore into tree trunks searching for beetle larvae.
By the mid-1900s, habitat loss from logging devastated ivory-billed woodpecker populations. Its last stronghold was the Singer Tract in Louisiana before this old-growth forest was logged in 1944. The last universally accepted sighting was in Louisiana in the same year. Most ornithologists presumed the ivory-billed woodpecker went extinct soon after.
Unconfirmed sightings through the 1990s
In the decades after its presumed extinction, there were occasional unconfirmed sightings of the ivory-billed woodpecker. In 1966, a sighting was reported from the Santee River area of South Carolina. In 1967, a hunter claimed to have seen the bird in the Big Thicket of east Texas. In 1971, a reward was offered for confirmation of ivory-billed woodpeckers along the Trinity River in Texas, but no confirmation came.
There were also reports from Cuba in the late 1980s, though evidence was inconclusive. While many hoped the ivory-billed woodpecker still persisted in secluded swamps, most ornithologists believed it had likely gone extinct by the late 1900s due to a lack of definitive proof.
The 2004 Arkansas video
In 2004, credible video evidence reignited the search for the ivory-billed woodpecker. In February 2004, gene biologist Tim Gallagher led a team from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology on an expedition in the Big Woods of eastern Arkansas. This large tract of mature forest along the Cache River was thought to be a possible refuge for ivory-billed woodpeckers.
On their last day, the team spotted a large black and white bird flying through the treetops. Reviewing their video footage later on, they discovered clear shots of the bird perched on a tree. Its unique white bill and large size strongly suggested an ivory-billed woodpecker. Gallagher and his colleagues published their experience in the journal Science in April 2005, announcing the rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker.
Reactions to the evidence
The Arkansas video created a surge of public interest in the ivory-billed woodpecker. Prior to this, federal wildlife agencies had been reluctant to list the ivory-billed woodpecker under the Endangered Species Act or invest resources in its search. But the press coverage of its dramatic rediscovery prompted action.
In 2005, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the ivory-billed woodpecker would be listed as endangered and more than $10 million was allocated to protecting the species. Large tracts of forest land were set aside to create the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Recovery Unit. Dozens of researchers and volunteers participated in search efforts from 2005 to 2009 but had no definitive sightings.
While many in the birding community accepted the Arkansas video as proof, skeptics argued it did not conclusively show an ivory-billed woodpecker. This debate continued in ornithology circles, though no stronger evidence came forth. By 2010, most experts had come to doubt whether ivory-billed woodpeckers still existed.
Recent search efforts
While the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Recovery Unit was abandoned in 2010, smaller search efforts have continued in the last decade:
- In 2009, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology launched Project Coyote using autonomous recording units to capture audio evidence of ivory-billed woodpeckers in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas. From 2009 to 2019, they amassed over 15,000 hours of recordings but found no conclusive matches to ivory-billed calls.
- In 2012, the Wildlife Conservation Society sponsored searches by expert birder Bobby Harrison in the Choctawhatchee River basin of Florida. From 2012 to 2014, he reported several sightings of ivory-billed woodpeckers but could not obtain photographic evidence.
- In 2016, the Florida Ornithological Society organized a search team to follow up on Harrison’s reports in the Choctawhatchee. From 2017 to 2021, the team collected audio and video from the area but could not confirm the presence of ivory-billed woodpeckers.
While these efforts have not produced definitive proof, some biologists still hold out hope that ivory-billed woodpeckers may persist in small numbers in remote Southern swamps. Most experts, however, believe the species has likely gone extinct.
Why verifying existence is difficult
There are several factors that make confirming the existence of ivory-billed woodpeckers so challenging:
- Inaccessible habitat – Ivory-billed woodpeckers were last seen in large, mature wetland forests, often with standing water. These swampy woods are difficult for humans to access and survey thoroughly.
- Extremely small population – Only 1-5 breeding pairs may remain, if any. With an estimated global population under 15, the probability of encountering one is extremely low.
- Wariness – As a wary, non-vocal species dependent on undisturbed habitat, ivory-billed woodpeckers avoid detectable contact with humans.
- Misidentification – The superficially similar pileated woodpecker is often mistaken for the ivory-billed by inexperienced birders.
- Lack of funding – Only small organizations with limited resources have continued the search since federal agencies ceased efforts in 2010.
Given these difficulties, rediscovering the ivory-billed woodpecker to the satisfaction of the scientific community would require an exceptional combination of luck and perseverance.
Why existence matters
The possible continued existence of the ivory-billed woodpecker is important for several reasons:
- Ecological significance – As the largest woodpecker in North America, the ivory-billed woodpecker played a unique ecological role in extracting beetle grubs from trees.
- Cultural symbol – A revered part of Native American culture and Southern folklore, the “Lord God bird” represents untamed wilderness to many.
- Conservation – Verifying its existence would renew efforts to protect millions of acres of Southern swamps critical to many rare species.
- Hope – Its rediscovery more than 50 years post-extinction would demonstrate the resilience of nature and give hope for other extinct species.
While most evidence indicates the ivory-billed woodpecker’s sad demise, its potential survival continues to inspire those who value protecting biodiversity and America’s natural heritage.
Conclusion
The ivory-billed woodpecker has become one of the holiest grails of American birding due to decades of intermittent sightings and hotly debated evidence. While initial reports in Arkansas in 2004 seemed promising, the lack of definitive confirmation since then has led most experts to reluctantly conclude that this iconic species has likely gone extinct. Yet the hope of rediscovering a bird thought lost continues to motivate some organizations to carry out searches in the vast Southern swamps. Only time will tell if another Lazarus species rises from the grave, showing again the resilience of nature against all odds.