Why is ivory billed woodpecker endangered

Until more hard evidence emerges from the Mississippi Delta's inaccessible, square-mile Big Woods region, the ivory-bill's status must remain uncertain.

But it is beyond doubt that the bird captured the attention of America and became a tragic symbol of the vanished old-growth delta forests it once frequented. These woodlands survive today mostly in isolated patches. Ivory-billed woodpeckers use their enormous white bill not really made of ivory, but bone to strip bark from dead but standing trees, and to access the beetle larvae that make up their primary food.

These bills were once decorative objects prized by some Native Americans. They have been found in archaeological digs far from the bird's ancient range—which suggests that they had value as trade items. All rights reserved. Common Name: Ivory-Billed Woodpecker. Scientific Name: Campephilus principalis. Type: Birds. Diet: Omnivore. Size: 18 to 20 inches; wingspan: 30 to 31 inches. Weight: 16 to 20 ounces. Size relative to a 6-ft man:.

Critically endangered. Least Concern Extinct. Current Population Trend: Decreasing. Skeptics, however, soon questioned the reports. Ivorybill expert Jerome Jackson published an influential rebuttal seven months later , claiming that the ornithologists had actually seen a pileated woodpecker.

Sound recordings could be of other birds too, and with only one surviving undisputed recording from , there is plenty of room for doubt. For other species, the benchmark is different. For example, the Kauai O'o — also declared extinct in the same report — is a smaller and less visually detectable bird.

Since its vocalizations are distinctive , sound recordings might have been enough to prove its existence. The public has until Nov. There can be detrimental outcomes if a species is declared extinct too early.

Removing federal protection eliminates conservation funding for the species and removes the pressure from states to protect the habitat. Other birds and vulnerable species in the area could also suffer. Even if the ivorybill is officially extinct, people will continue to look for it. The grassroots group Mission Ivorybill begins a three-year search effort in Louisiana on Nov.

Matt Courtman, a former president of the Louisiana Ornithological Society who founded the group, told me that he saw a pair of ivorybills as recently as The group hopes to provide evidence to overturn the extinction declaration.

Is it too soon to declare the ivory-billed woodpecker extinct? Third of shark and ray species face extinction, warns study. Read more. Topics Endangered species Animals Conservation Wildlife features.

Reuse this content.