Ivory-Billed Fact Sheet

Common Name: Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

Scientific Name: Campephilus principalis

Wild Status: Critically Endangered - heavily believed to be extinct

Habitat: Pine Forests, thick hardwood swamp areas

Country: Southeastern United States, and a subspecies native to Cuba

Shelter: Trees

Life Span: Unknown - some speculate up to 20 years or more

Size: Weighs about 1 pound on average, total length roughly 20 inches, with a typical

30 inch wingspan

Details

The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker is a very rare , native to the Southeast of the United States. They are one of the largest in the world, and noticeable by their distinct black and white pattern and red plumage near their head. Primarily due to habitat loss, as well as hunting to a lesser extent, the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker is classified as critically endangered. However, many associations and biologists believe the species to be functionally extinct, as true sightings and evidence of living specimens has not been published in over 10 years. The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker is believed to mate for life like many , and both parents would work together to create a nest for the young. Much of the woodpecker's diet consists of larvae and insects, as well as seeds and fruit. Cool Facts

• They are sexually dimorphic - only the males have the red plumage on their head. • Four distinct vocal calls were noted in literature, and two of these calls were recorded in the 1930s. • While many unconfirmed reports still come in, this species was assessed as extinct in 1994. However, this was later altered to critically endangered on the belief that the species might have relocated from their native habitat. • The search for a living specimen has led to a small tourism boost in areas like Arkansas in the woodpeckers native range. There have even been attempts at a woodpecker festival and woodpecker hairstyle to bandwagon off of the 's mysterious popularity. • Many nicknames have been created for the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, including "grail bird", "King of the Woodpeckers", and "Elvis in feathers".

Taxonomic Breakdown

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Family: Picidae : Campephilus Species: C. principalis

Conservation & Helping

Officially, the Ivory Billed Woodpecker is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. However there has been a lot of debate over whether this species is actually extinct or not, as no definitive proof via videos, DNA, feces, or any other specimen has been published in over 10 years. Habitat loss and destruction in their native forests are the biggest reasons why the Ivory Billed Woodpecker has lost most, if not all, of their population.

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