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Difference between revisions of "Ivory-billed Woodpecker" - BirdForum Opus

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;Campephilus principalis
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{{extinct?}}
[[Image:Ivory-billed_Woodpecker.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by Extinct Bf member]]
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[[Image:Ivory-billed_Woodpecker_painting.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Artwork by '''MattBohan''']]
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;[[:Category:Campephilus|Campephilus]] principalis
 
==Identification==
 
==Identification==
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North America's largest woodpecker, distinguished from the [[Pileated Woodpecker]] by its white bill, larger size, and large white wing patch. The female is or was the only large woodpecker in North America with an all-black crest.
  
The Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) is a very large member of the woodpecker family, Picidae; it is officially listed as an endangered species, but by the end of the 20th century had widely been considered extinct.
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==Distribution==
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Possibly extinct.  The historic range included the southeastern [[United States]] and [[Cuba]].  The last unquestioned reports of the species in the United States were in the early 1940s, from the Singer tract in [[Louisiana]].  The Cuban population lingered on into the 1980s, but has not been reported since. Claims since 2005 that the species has been rediscovered in [[Arkansas]] and [[Florida]] have caused much controversy, with critics charging that the evidence presented is ambiguous enough to have been produced by the combination of a [[Pileated Woodpecker]] sighting and wishful thinking.
  
Reports of at least one male bird in Arkansas in 2004 and 2005 were suggested in April 2005 by a team led by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (Fitzpatrick et al., 2005). If confirmed, this would make the Ivory-billed Woodpecker a lazarus species, a species that is rediscovered alive after being considered extinct for some time.
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==Taxonomy==
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The Ivory-bill's closest relative is the equally endangered [[Imperial Woodpecker]] of central [[Mexico]].
  
In June 2006, a $10,000 reward was offered for information leading to the discovery of an Ivory-billed Woodpecker nest, roost or feeding site.
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The Cuban subspecies ''C. p. bairdii'' has been proposed as a separate species.
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==Habitat==
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The nominate subspecies was usually found in bottomland swamp forest. The Cuban subspecies seems to have preferred montane pine forest.
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==Behaviour==
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==External Links==
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*[http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ivory/ Cornell Lab of Ornithology: The Search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker]
  
In late September 2006, a team of ornithologists from Auburn University and the University of Windsor published a paper detailing suggestive evidence for the existence of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers along the Choctawhatchee River in northwest Florida (Hill et al., 2006).
 
 
Neither of these recent "re-discoverys" of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker have provided conclusive evidence of the continued existence of this species and anouncements to this effect have been widely criticised.
 
 
If this iconic bird – a symbol of lost southern bayous and swamps – still exists, it would become a symbol of hope for conservationists throughout the world. Efforts begun in the 1970s preserved vital habitat for the species, allowing any remaining birds to survive. Major land acquisition and restoration efforts are currently underway to protect the possible survival of this woodpecker.
 
 
Photo is of the artifical female bird created for demonstration purposes.
 
==Other names==
 
==External Links==
 
 
{{GSearch|Campephilus+principalis}}
 
{{GSearch|Campephilus+principalis}}
[[Category:Birds]]
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[[Category:Birds]] [[Category: Campephilus]]  [[Category:Artwork Only]] [[Category: Missing Images]]

Latest revision as of 07:26, 4 February 2011

Skull2 t.png The species Ivory-billed Woodpecker is possibly extinct.
Skull2 t.png


Artwork by MattBohan
Campephilus principalis

Identification

North America's largest woodpecker, distinguished from the Pileated Woodpecker by its white bill, larger size, and large white wing patch. The female is or was the only large woodpecker in North America with an all-black crest.

Distribution

Possibly extinct. The historic range included the southeastern United States and Cuba. The last unquestioned reports of the species in the United States were in the early 1940s, from the Singer tract in Louisiana. The Cuban population lingered on into the 1980s, but has not been reported since. Claims since 2005 that the species has been rediscovered in Arkansas and Florida have caused much controversy, with critics charging that the evidence presented is ambiguous enough to have been produced by the combination of a Pileated Woodpecker sighting and wishful thinking.

Taxonomy

The Ivory-bill's closest relative is the equally endangered Imperial Woodpecker of central Mexico.

The Cuban subspecies C. p. bairdii has been proposed as a separate species.

Habitat

The nominate subspecies was usually found in bottomland swamp forest. The Cuban subspecies seems to have preferred montane pine forest.

Behaviour

External Links

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