Endangered Species Alert: The Ivory Billed Woodpecker

Perhaps one of the saddest negative impacts that humans have had on the planet is bringing about the complete eradication of entire species.  While it is too late for the species already extinct, here is one of the animals that we might still be able to save...

The Ivory Billed Woodpecker was believed to be extinct for over 60 years, but there's hope that the species still exists as sightings of it have been reported over the past few years.  In 2000 the status of the bird was upgraded from 'extinct' to 'critically endangered'. Although unconfirmed, the sightings have brought hope that the birds haven't disappeared from the planet and searches for the animal are currently ongoing in Arkansas, USA to try to confirm their status as well as numbers.

One interested conservationist even offered a generous $10,000 reward for anyone who could find a nest or roost of these endangered birds, and Cornell University upped the stakes in 2008, offering a $50,000 reward for anybody who can prove the woodpecker still exists.   The beautiful and unusual looking bird has black and white plummage with a stunning red collar,  and has been dubbed with grand nicknames such as the 'Grail Bird' and the 'Lord God Bird' as it looks so inspiring.

The birds once lived in swampy forests throughout the southeastern and lower Mississippi valley states, from North Carolina to Florida and west to eastern Texas and Arkansas and possibly some other southern US states.  It is even thought that at one time these birds could be found as far north as the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Ivory Billed Woodpeckers were also found in Cuba many years ago.  It is sad that such a widely found bird is now so scarce that there has been no confirmed sighting since the early 1900's.

This species is the second largest in the woodpecker family, and male birds average about 20 inches in length.  They feed mainly on the larvae of wood-boring beetles, along with other insects, seeds and fruit. The bird uses it's large bill to peck away at trees and peels away the bark to find edible insects.  Each woodpecker needs between six to 10 square miles of forest to find enough food to feed their young and themselves.

Romantically, the birds are believed to pair for life and were always known to travel together. They mate yearly between January and May, but they started to disappear after heavy logging activity in their natural habitat.  The birds were also considered great prizes for collectors, and hunting severely depleted their numbers towards the end of the 19th century. The last known ivory billed woodpecker was believed to have lived in 1944, but the ongoing searches are hoping to discover the species has managed to survive.

It is encouraging that despite concrete proof that these birds still live,  there are active attempts being made to preserve their habitat just in case.

Want to help?  Visit the National Audubon Society or the American Bird Conservation Society to find ways that you can help to protect this and other endangered species of birds.