When was the last time someone saw an ivory-billed woodpecker?

The ivory-billed woodpecker is one of the most elusive birds in North America. This large woodpecker was once widespread across the southeastern United States, but habitat destruction and overhunting led to a dramatic decline in its population in the early 20th century. The last widely accepted sighting of an ivory-billed woodpecker was in 1944 in Louisiana. Since then, there have been numerous reported sightings of the ivory-bill, but none that could be confirmed with conclusive evidence like clear photographs or video. The ivory-billed woodpecker is believed to be extinct by most experts today, but some hold out hope that a few individuals may still persist in remote swamps and forests of the southeast. The question of when the last ivory-bill was truly seen remains a topic of much debate among ornithologists and bird enthusiasts.

The historic range and decline of the ivory-billed woodpecker

The ivory-billed woodpecker historically ranged across the southeastern United States from eastern Texas to Florida, and up along the Atlantic Coast to North Carolina. It inhabited forests and swamps with large trees, particularly old-growth forests dominated by cypress and pine. The ivory-bill is the largest woodpecker in North America, measuring 16 to 20 inches in length with a wingspan of 30 inches. It has brilliant black and white plumage and a prominent white bill. The ivory-bill’s specialized habitat was massive trees for nesting and foraging on beetle larvae that tunnel under thick bark.

The cutting of old-growth forests in the late 1800s and early 1900s destroyed much of the ivory-billed woodpecker’s nesting and foraging grounds. Commercially valuable trees like cypress were heavily logged across the southeast, eliminating the large, mature trees this species depended on. Hunting also took a major toll on ivory-bill populations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These birds were prized by collectors and hunters for their beautiful plumage. The combination of habitat loss and unregulated hunting caused the ivory-billed woodpecker population to rapidly dwindle. Audubon Society Christmas Bird Counts showed a peak of 18 birds in 1900, but only 4 in 1924. By the 1930s, the ivory-bill was restricted to isolated pockets of habitat and disappearing fast.

Controversial sightings in the early 1900s

In the first decades of the 20th century, ornithologists and collectors scoured the southeast trying to find the increasingly rare ivory-billed woodpecker. There were a number of reports of sightings and specimens collected between 1900 and the late 1930s, but controversy surrounds many of these records:

• Singer Tract, Louisiana – Between 1939 and 1944, Louisiana State University ornithologist George Lowery led expeditions into the Singer Tract in northeast Louisiana that reported six ivory-bill sightings, including a nest with young in 1939. This area was later logged.
• Florida Everglades – In 1924, an ornithology publication reported ivory-bills present in the Everglades. A stuffed ivory-bill was reported collected there in 1928, but the specimen has been lost.
• Santee River, South Carolina – Arthur T. Wayne reported collecting an ivory-bill specimen here in 1910, but the authenticity of this record remains uncertain.
• Okaloosa County, Florida – An ivory-billed woodpecker reported collected near Baker in 1929, but the specimen disappeared.

While intriguing, these early 20th century ivory-bill sightings lack the definitive proof to confirm the presence of ivory-bills beyond doubt. The lack of photographic evidence and missing specimens allow some skepticism about whether ivory-bills genuinely persisted in these areas. Still, they indicate that small numbers of ivory-bills likely survived into the 1930s.

The last universally accepted sightings in the 1930s and 1940s

In the late 1930s and 1940s, there were several more credible ivory-bill sightings that serve as the last universally accepted records:

• Singer Tract, Louisiana – The most credible ivory-bill sightings come from Louisiana’s Singer Tract in the 1930s and early 1940s. Wildlife artist and LSU ornithologist George Lowery led the searches and published details on nests and sightings before this forest was logged in 1944.
• Madison Parish, Louisiana – In 1939, John Dennis shot an ivory-billed woodpecker at the Little Prairie River here. This is the last record involving a collected specimen.
• Tensas River, Louisiana – A sighting along the Tensas River in 1938 by Lester Short and others produced a description but no photographic evidence.

The Singer Tract sightings in particular provided thorough documentation – detailed sighting accounts, field sketches, information on nesting behavior, and wing specimens from the nestlings. The Madison Parish and Tensas River reports also came from experienced, reputable observers. These last universally accepted records point to the presence of ivory-bills in Louisiana in the late 1930s.

Controversial sightings from the 1950s to early 2000s

After the 1940s, reports of ivory-billed woodpecker sightings dropped off dramatically for several decades. This fueled the conventional wisdom that the ivory-bill went extinct in the mid-20th century. Starting in the late 1950s though, controversial sightings popped up suggesting that ivory-bills still persisted in remote tracts of forest:

• Late 1950s – Cubans reported that ivory-bills may still exist in Cuba’s eastern forests.
• 1966 – A sighting along Florida’s Choctawhatchee River by George Wallace. Photos were too poor quality to confirm.
• 1971 – Louisiana – Landowner Fielding Lewis reported ivory-bill sightings on his property along the Tensas River starting in 1971. But he would not allow ornithologists to verify the sightings.
• 1999-2000 – Various brief sightings were described in the Pearl River region of Louisiana in 1999 and 2000. But no photos were obtained.

While intriguing, these reports provided no conclusive proof of ivory-bills. They were either anecdotal accounts that could not be verified, or involved poor-quality photos that left many skeptics. Still, the persistent trickle of post-1940s sightings kept a glimmer of hope alive that the ivory-bill was not extinct.

The controversial Arkansas “rediscovery” in 2004-2005

In April 2004, a research team announced the “rediscovery” of the ivory-billed woodpecker along the Cache River in Arkansas. Gene Sparling, an experienced birder, claimed to have seen an ivory-bill near Brinkley, Arkansas in February 2004. This prompted an intensive search effort led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in 2004 and 2005. The researchers reported 15 sightings of ivory-bills and recorded some video of a large, fast-flying woodpecker. They also documented unique ivory-bill “double knocks” and large tree cavities consistent with nesting behavior.

However, other teams of experts could not independently confirm the presence of ivory-bills in follow up searches. And the video evidence was contested by skeptics as possibly just a common pileated woodpecker. The lack of clear, irrefutable proof led many to doubt the “rediscovery.” Some concluded the sightings were cases of mistaken identity, while others argued they showed proof-of-concept that ivory-bills could still exist. The controversy over this sighting casts further uncertainty over when the last definite ivory-bill observation occurred.

A summary of the evidence for ivory-bill persistence

Here is a summary of the key pieces of potential evidence that ivory-billed woodpeckers survived past the 1940s:

While many of these post-1940s sightings remain controversial and unconfirmed, they collectively indicate the ivory-bill may still live in the most remote tracts of southern forest. The lack of conclusive evidence also shows how incredibly rare and elusive the ivory-bill has become. It keeps the door open that a remnant population persists into the 21st century.

Perspective from experts on the existence question

The ivory-billed woodpecker existence question has been hotly debated among ornithology experts in recent decades. Here is perspective from some prominent voices in the discussion:

• Jerome Jackson (ornithologist and author): “I believe the bird is still extant in Cuba and potentially in some remote regions of Florida as well.”
• Richard Prum (ornithologist at Yale): “These are such remote and inaccessible places. The bird had value only as a hunting trophy. I absolutely believe they are still out there.”
• David Sibley (prominent birder and author): “As far as I’m concerned, this bird is still regularly being seen…I remain confident that the bird exists.”
• Mark B. Robbins (ornithologist at University of Kansas): “This would be an easy species to overlook if it occurred in very low densities and restricted habitats.”

These experts contend that the ivory-bill could be persisting in barely detectable numbers in leftover pockets of habitat. This perspective is opposed by other scientists who insist there is no credible evidence any ivory-bills survived past the 1940s. The divide highlights the uncertainties around determining exactly when this rare and elusive species became extinct.

Conclusion

In summary, the last universally accepted records of the ivory-billed woodpecker came from Louisiana in the late 1930s and early 1940s. After decades with few reports, controversial sightings popped up in the late 1950s through the early 2000s. But conclusive photographic evidence or specimens have been lacking from any sightings after the 1940s.

The lack of irrefutable proof means the possibility that ivory-bills persist into the 21st century cannot be ruled out. At the same time, their numbers are certainly tiny if they still exist at all. The question of when the last ivory-bill lived or finally vanished may never be solved satisfactorily. The answer may still be out there in a remote, lonely forest if a few ivory-bills hang on. But on the edge of extinction, the majestic ivory-billed woodpecker remains an icon of conservation and a “ghost bird” reminding us of our role in its decline.