The Ivory-billed Woodpecker

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is a large woodpecker measuring twenty inches in length with a thirty inch wingspan. Its plumage is a shiny blue-black with white markings on its neck and back. There is a trail of white that starts at its beak running along the upper edged of its white-tipped wings. The under-wing is white on the forward edge as well as along the outer edge leaving a widening strip of black down the center. When perched on a branch with the wings folded, a large, triangular patch of white on its lower back can be seen.

Both the male and female have a prominent crest. The male's crest is black along the forward edged but abruptly changes to a bright red. The female's crest is a solid black. And as the name implies, the ivory-billed woodpecker's long, sharp bill is chalky white in juveniles and ivory colored in adults.

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is a magnificent bird and would truly be a sight to see.

Ivory-billed Woodpeckers were known to prefer pine forests and hardwood swamps with a fair amount of dead trees. As with most woodpeckers they drill through the dead wood in search of beetles and insect larvae. Prior to the Civil War they were prevelant throughout the Southeastern United States. Their range expanded northward as far a North Carolina and westward to Illinois and Texas.

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker fed mainly on insects such as the wood-boring beetle, but also dined on seeds and small fruits. The mated pairs were spread out each claiming a teritory large enough to feed themselves and their brood.

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker was listed as an endagered species on March 11, 1967. At that point the only evidence of its continued existance was a recording of a call made in Texas. There were several reported sightings over the next few decades, they were not investigated. The photos sent to the LSU museum in 1971 offered hope, but not enough to stir the scientific community's passion. For all intents and purposes, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker was extinct.

There was a compelling, but unconfirmed sighting of a pair of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers in Louisiana in 1999. The forestry student's aledged sighting gave the search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker a kickstart. Since then there has been several more unconfirmed sightings and evidence of their foraging found. Their characteristic "double knock" drilling has been recorded in both Florida, Alabama, and Louisiana, but no pictures or videos have been forthcoming.

In spite of the lack of concrete evidence, many believe the Ivory-billed Woodpecker is close to, but not extinct. Land has been bought up and research teams sent into the fields, but the professionals have not confirmed the Ivory-billed's continued existance. Are they holding back the evidence for fear of a stampeed of amature bird watchers? The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is a shy bird and has been known to abandon its nest when threatened. A bunch of amatures stomping through the forest would not be good.

I want to believe the bird exists, but even if its existance was confirmed, I would avoid its potential nesting sites. I will never see the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. I hope that my restraint and others wanting a look but resisting, will make a difference. Give the Ivory-billed Woodpecker time and the space it needs and maybe, just maybe my grandchildren and the generations beyond will see it thriving and flying free again.

The Little Guy
The Downy Woodpecker

Big Brothers

The Red-bellied Woodpecker
The Pileated Woodpecker
The Red-headed Woodpecker
The Hairy Woodpecker
The Northern Flicker

The Illusive One

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker

The Mischief Maker
Woody Woodpecker