The endangeredivory-billed woodpecker, which has been seen so sparingly in the past century that the federal government dubbed it extinct, may not be wiped out after all.
Project Principalis and National Aviary ornithologists claim that the woodpecker was seen in Louisiana last October, one month after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommended that the bird be removed from the endangered species listing and declared extinct.
Their studyThe publication, which has not been peer reviewed, is the result a long-running search that saw the bird numerous times over a period of years. The authors claim to have taken multiple drone photos and trail cameras of the bird.
From left to right: An apparent Ivory billed Woodpecker at the study site; a colorized Ivory billed Woodpecker photo taken around 1935; a Pale billed Woodpecker in Central America; and an Ivory billed Woodpecker at the study site. Project Principalis provided the photo
“Our findings and inferences from them suggest an increasingly optimistic future for the ivory billed woodpecker,” wrote the authors.
The woodpecker is a distinctive bird with a distinctive black and white plumage, and an ivory bill that has captured the public’s interest for a long time. It inspired Walter Lantz Woody Woody Woody, the Woodpecker character. He created it in 1940, after the bird had allegedly disrupted a California honeymoon.
However, its population has been declining since the 1930s due to its habitat being destroyed and hunters and collectors pursuing it more. A national search for the bird in the 1930s yielded only 22 birds in Florida, South Carolina, Louisiana, and in 1944, it was seen in Madison Parish near Tallulah.
The 2005 sighting of a third bird in Central Arkansas has been widely discussed. Other sightings claimed to have occurred over the years but failed to meet the U.S. standards. Fish and Wildlife Service’s evidence requirements require clear photographs, feathers, or other specimens to be submitted.
The Fish and Wildlife Service included the woodpecker in a list that included 23 species that should be considered endangered. In January, the agency held a virtual hearing to discuss its decision. However, it has yet to finalize the decision and remove the bird officially from the endangered species register. A spokesperson for the wildlife agency declined to comment on the new study this week, stating that the agency is still reviewing it.
“A final decision is not made on the September 2021 request to delist the species because of extinction. Vanessa Kauffman stated that we are currently reviewing the information and will base our final determination upon the best science available.
Project Principalis researchers used several techniques to find the woodpecker. They included “slowly moving reconnaissance”, sitting in place, stakeouts of key areas, points or cavities, and even sitting in one spot. Researchers claimed that skilled observers saw ivory-billed woodpeckers more often than a dozen times but were unable to capture high-quality images.
Instead, the report includes images from drones and trail cameras that were strategically placed near trees where scientists suspect the woodpeckers have been.
Steven Latta, Director of Conservation and Field Research at the National Aviary, stated that the photos are grainy because they were shot from a distance and in the early morning when the woodpecker was most active foraging.
He stated that he is certain that the photos of ivory-billed woodpeckers are real.
Latta stated that scientists had a responsibility to release this information now because they felt it was their duty. The ivory-billed Woodpecker is an iconic bird. There has been strong debate about whether or not it exists for decades. Latta said that releasing an early version would encourage respectful and informed discussion.
This much has been proven true in the last week. John Dillon, president of the Louisiana Ornithological Society was not convinced by the new photographs.
“If nobody had told me I was looking into a woodpecker, it would have been a limb,” he said.
Dillon stated that the birds seen in the photos were likely pileated Woodpeckers. These birds are very similar to ivory-billed woodpeckers but have a smaller bill and a lighter throat. Dillon stated that this is the case for many photos he receives from birders claiming to have seen the rare bird.
He said that they all look very similar to the other photos he’d seen. Although I would love to see irrefutable proof, this is not it.
