Ivory-Billed Woodpecker?

ARBORETUM has raised this subject before and, we hope, we will again. America's greatest woodpecker deserves the attention of bird-lovers, and is getting it!

This winter there have been searches in four or five states for the ivory-billed woodpecker. In recent years, there have been reports that this bird, once said to be extinct, is still around in some of the deepest recesses of the southern wilderness which still remain.

In Texas this winter, there has been an extensive search of areas in Big Thicket National Reserve. Hurricane Rita had knocked down many trees and cluttered the wilderness areas, making these searches more difficult. On the other hand, downed trees will provide more food for the IBW, which feeds (what tense should I use?) on insect larvae.




So far, no new news has been reported to substantiate claims of the bird's existence. The controversy among birders and scientists -- it seems to me -- has two dimensions. One of the dimensions concerns "claims." Here, folks argue over the evidence collected so far. There is a piece of tape showing a bird which might be an ivory-billed woodpecker, made in 2004 in Arkansas. There is also an audio tape which might be the sounds of an IBW in Florida. Experts disagree about the validity of both.

One of Ornithology's most prestigious authorities, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology ( CLICK HERE ) defends evidence tending to show that the IBW is still extant.

Then there is "faith." It does seem that there are those who want to believe the bird has survived mankind, and those who have little faith that it could be so. Despite attacks from skeptics, the Houston Audubon Society, for one, proclaims its certainty. ( CLICK FOR H.A.S. STATEMENT)

The National Fish and Wildlife Service continues to sponsor searches for the bird and has provided a question-answer fact sheet for inquiring minds such as yours. ( PDF Format Q-A )

ARBORETUM continues to watch the debate.

Here is the most recent Associated Press report on the search and the debate: A.P. CLICK