Woodpecker not extinct after all

[Madame Butterfly 0]

Woodpecker Thought Extinct Is Rediscovered

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, AP

 

 

 

 

WASHINGTON (April 28) - The ivory-billed woodpecker, thought to be extinct, has reportedly been sighted in eastern Arkansas, a Cornell University researcher says in a paper released Thursday.

 

John W. Fitzpatrick of Cornell University said there have been several independent sightings of a bird that appears to be an ivory-billed woodpecker.

 

The ivory-billed woodpecker, one of the largest such birds in the world, is one of six North American bird species thought to have become extinct since 1880. While rare, the bird ranged widely across the southeastern United States until logging eliminated many forests between 1880 and the 1940s.

 

A video clip of one bird, though blurry, shows key features, including the size and markings, Fitzpatrick reported.

 

"The bird captured on video is clearly an ivory-billed woodpecker. Amazingly, America may have another chance to protect the future of this spectacular bird and the awesome forests in which it lives," Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, said in a statement.

 

Fitzpatrick's report was released by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which is publishing it in the journal Science, and also announced by the Nature Conservancy.

 

There have been anecdotal reports of the birds, but the last conclusive sighting in continental North America was in 1944. A subspecies of the bird has been reported in Cuba.

 

The new sightings have been in the Big Woods region of Arkansas and each involved a different person or group, Fitzpatrick said.

 

About 40 percent of the forest in this region is approaching maturity, and nearby land has been reforested in the last decade.

 

Fitzpatrick identified the bird by magnifying and analyzing individual frames of the video clip.

 

The Nature Conservancy, which has protected a large segment of land in the area, reported that the first sighting came on Feb. 11, 2004, by George Sparling of Hot Springs, Arkansas.

 

 

04/28/05 09:08 EDT

[Odo 0]

I hope there right.

One more thing the human race has killied off comes back.

[LoveMalePecs1 0]

Happy to know that the WoodPecker isn't Extinct after all.

 

 

B) B) B) B)

[trekz 7]

So all this time they were "Holed" up?

 

This is good news! Some people don't understand that most species have specific roles in nature and that when one becomes extinct that could cause an imbalance that could have unforseen consequences. These guys are also pretty attractive for woodpeckers lol! I hope they have enough of a population and habitat to be sustained as a species.

[Odie 0]

Maybe there is hope for others that are classified as extinct. B)

[Korthedaharmaster 0]

Let the search for the Dodo begin

[Sheikhengku 0]

Wow! Thats great news..

[Madame Butterfly 0]

'Extinct' woodpecker found alive

 

 

The bird was declared extinct in 1920

 

 

The spectacular ivory-billed woodpecker, which was declared extinct in 1920, has been found alive in North America, Science magazine reports.

 

The news has stunned ornithologists worldwide, with some comparing the discovery to finding the dodo.

 

Researchers began an intense year-long search after a tip-off before finally capturing the bird on video.

 

The find has ignited hope that other "extinct" birds may be clinging on to survival in isolated places.

 

'Finding Elvis'

 

"This find is so significant that it is really difficult to describe," Alistair Gammell, of the UK's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), told BBC News. "We sadly won't rediscover the dodo, but it is almost on that level."

 

Frank Gill, of the US National Audubon Society, added: "This is huge, just huge. It is kind of like finding Elvis."

 

The "stunning" red, white and black woodpecker was formerly distributed across the south-eastern United States and Cuba.

 

It's like a funeral shroud has been pulled back

 

Tim Gallagher, editor of Living Bird magazine

 

The bird carves out a narrow niche for itself by drilling in mature trees, and logging and forest clearance for agriculture began to impinge on its environment.

 

By 1920, it was assumed extinct, although, in 1944, there was one more confirmed sighting in North America of a lonely unpaired female, above the remnants of an over-cut forest.

 

Since then, decades of searches yielded nothing and hope gradually faded away.

 

Now, finally, the bird has been seen again in the Big Woods of eastern Arkansas.

 

The discovery was first made on 11 February 2004, by Gene Sparling, of Hot Springs, Arkansas, who was kayaking in a reserve in Big Woods. He saw an unusually large red-crested woodpecker fly towards him and land on a nearby tree.

 

He said the creature did not look quite like anything he had seen before, so he contacted Cornell University's Living Bird magazine.

 

After a team of experts interviewed him, they felt they might be onto something special.

 

A second chance

 

John Fitzpatrick, of Cornell University, headed the search party, which included Tim Gallagher, editor of Living Bird.

 

Within a month, Dr Gallagher had seen the ivory-billed woodpecker for himself.

 

Describing the moment he first set eyes on it, he said: "Just to think this bird made it into the 21st Century gives me chills.

 

"It's like a funeral shroud has been pulled back, giving us a glimpse of a living bird, rising Lazarus-like from the grave."

 

The team finally went on to capture the bird on video, which allowed them to confirm its identity.

 

Among the world's largest woodpeckers, the ivory-bill is one of six North American bird species suspected or known to have gone extinct since 1880.

 

"This provides hope for [other] species classified as potentially extinct," said Stuart Butchart, of BirdLife International.

 

It also offers an extra incentive to protect the habitat of the ivory-bill, as well as other birds.

 

"Amazingly America may have another chance to protect the future of this spectacular bird and the awesome forests in which it lives," Mr Fitzpatrick said.

 

"It is the most beautiful bird we could imagine rediscovering. It is a magical bird.

 

"For those of us who tenaciously cling to the idea that man can live alongside fellow species, this is the most incredible ray of hope."

[Madame Butterfly 0]

Rare Woodpecker's Home Remote, Dangerous

Snake-Watching the Safer Way to Go

 

By MELISSA NELSON, AP

 

Flawed Extinction

 

 

DIXIE, Ark. (April 29) - The Arkansas swamp that's home to the recently rediscovered ivory-billed woodpecker is a forbidding place, and visitors searching for birds above are wise to scan for snakes below.

 

Some officials believe the remoteness and dangers of the area where the bird is believed to live are enough to deter all but the most determined bird watchers, but others aren't so sure.

 

"This is just a special thing. Thousands of people will want to come right here,'' said Sam Hamilton, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Southeast region. "This is the world's greatest woodpecker.''

 

 

The strikingly beautiful bird - sometimes called the white-back, pearly bill, poule de bois and even Lord God bird - was thought to have been extinct for decades when a kayaker found one in February 2004. Cornell University and a number of government agencies announced the discovery Thursday, and researchers took a handful of outsiders Friday to the site of the find.

 

The rare bird - a little larger than a crow, with a wing span of about 19 inches - can easily fly about undisturbed in swamps like the 800-acre tract where researchers focused their search. It's hard for humans to even reach it, and once they do, it's hard to focus on bird watching.

 

One team that recently searched for the bird counted 17 poisonous cottonmouth snakes in 20 minutes, said Doug Zollner, an ecologist on the research project.

 

Stopping his motorized canoe on the river to describe the search efforts, Dennis Widner, a manager of the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge, said he wasn't worried about an influx of bird watchers possibly disturbing the bird because the region is so remote.

 

"It's dangerous work to be out in these swamps,'' Widner said.

 

The remoteness could be one reason Gene Sparling became the first person known to have seen an ivory-billed woodpecker since 1944.

 

 

 

To help verify Sparling's find, Cornell students spent part of their winter helping researchers sweep the swamp searching for roost holes large enough to hold the stately bird. To date, only six people have seen the ivory-billed woodpecker since Sparling found it.

 

The bird is known for the two-note rap of its bill as it rips into tree bark in search of edible grubs and beetle larvae. It became known as the Lord God bird because people seeing it would exclaim "Lord God, look at that bird.''

 

Hamilton said it is too early to discuss whether a captive mating program might increase the ivory-billed woodpecker's population. So far, no more than one bird has been seen at a time - but the woodpeckers live only to age 15, so there was likely a mating pair in the region since 1990. "The best way is to let it be for right now,'' he said.

 

Federal agencies are putting up $10 million to help preserve the habitat; the 800 acres that support the woodpecker is within a 55,000-acre preserve. Hamilton said the ivory-billed woodpecker likely survived because channels hadn't been cut in the Cache River, which would have sped its flow and altered the nature of the land around it.

 

"I had known about that bird my entire life,'' said Arkansas Game and Fish officer Mike McCormick. "A lot of people never realized what a treasure this place is.''

 

 

04/29/05 20:31 EDT

[recycle 0]

i live in state where the ivory bill woodpecker found first time this guy going down river in his cannoe he saw these 2 bird fly bye as he got looking he notice they were woodpecker maybe rare woodpecker..so he told of his story they found out at cash river was not exstint..i got site with video.. just last week in hot springs person reported seeing one in his yard..next to these woods.. http://birds.cornell.edu/ivory/ this video cool hope you see .lets try and see if we can keep these around for next generation to enjoy..i have webpagehttp://recycle24.tripod.com/allkindspicsliketvmove_etc/ i think the bird served in woods where foulk monster is in arkansas those woods to louisanna are mostly swamp no ones been all way in there cause of swamp..i been to foulk arkansas..i got links and pics to bird site too..its like ones on here look at video.. too cool..

[recycle 0]

http://www.agfc.state.ar.us/index.html there site has more in arkansas i'm 35 min from bird theres mulitsound that arkansas has of them they may be some in central ark from little rock to memphis..i'm in searcy..its on that site i post there having meeting to save bird..i'm 35 mins from augusta..lets try do our part to save these birds..email these people to see what you can do to help.. there is multi of birds more then two we may be able bring them back..as they seen 2 in louisanna got sounds..but one thing respect the bird please...lets keep it around...

[recycle 0]

Ivory-billed Woodpecker

 

Navigate:

Pull Down for Bookmarks Information about the Ivory-billed woodpecker Links Big Woods Partnership Ivory-billed/Pileated Comparison Document Listen to the call of the Ivory-billed woodpecker Differences between Ivory-billed and Pileated Woodpeckers Where can I go for Ivory-billed birding opportunities? Emergency Proclamation for protection Report possible sightings

 

 

 

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker, once thought to be extinct, has been confirmed and documented in eastern Arkansas in the Cache River and White River forests of eastern Arkansas. Ivory-billed Woodpeckers once inhabited the bottomland hardwoods and pine forests of southeastern United States and Cuba. This large black and white woodpecker disappeared as its habitat has increasingly declined.

It has been more than 60 years since the last confirmed sighting of this bird in the United States. Evidence was collected during a search in the Cache River and White River national wildlife refuges by biologists and birding experts in collaboration with the Big Woods Conservation Partnership.

 

Before this discovery, the last confirmed sighting of an Ivory-billed Woodpecker, in the United States was during the 1940s. Since then, there have been unconfirmed reports that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker has been seen or heard in the United States.

 

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is a large black-and-white woodpecker. Males have a red crest; females have a black head and crest. White wing patches and a stripe down the side of its neck continuing down its back distinguish it from the Pileated Woodpecker, the only woodpecker that resembles the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.

 

Ivory-bills have a large, chisel-tipped bill ivory in color, in contrast with the dark bill of the Pileated. It does not undulate like other woodpeckers when flying, but rather flies like a duck. Its drum is a single or double rap, and its alarm call, a "kent" or "hant" sounds like a toy trumpet repeated in a series or as a double note.

i found this to go those sites i posted to cool let do good..

[Stephen of Borg 2]

last year, we heard a banging outside of our house. We went and looked and it was a Woodpecker trying to eat bugs out of the wood part of the house.