The ivory-billed woodpecker is an elusive bird that was thought to be extinct for over 60 years before a few sightings sparked renewed hope that it may still exist in remote swamps of the southeastern United States. This large woodpecker, nicknamed the “Lord God bird” for the exclamations of awe it inspired, captured the imagination of naturalists and birdwatchers who set out on expeditions to find evidence of its continued existence. The controversy over whether this iconic American bird still survives wild is an intriguing saga of claimed sightings, grainy videos, disputed evidence, and an unlikely alliance of groups working together to follow the trail of clues and search the most promising swamp forests of Arkansas, Louisiana and Florida. Understanding the story behind the search for the ivory-bill tells us a lot about the history of ornithology in America, the passion of citizen scientists, the challenges of proving the existence of rare and elusive creatures, and the hopefully not-yet-lost fight to preserve imperiled habitats.
The Original Discovery and Documentation
The ivory-billed woodpecker was first described scientifically in 1825 based on specimens collected in the lower Mississippi valley, though Native Americans were certainly aware of the impressive bird long before then. Early ornithologists Alexander Wilson and John James Audubon were among the first to paint the bird and document some aspects of its natural history in the early 19th century. The ivory-bill stood out for its large size, striking black and white plumage, brilliant red crest, and powerful white bill. It inhabited mature forests along Southern rivers where it used its strong beak to hammer on dead trees, feeding on beetle larvae found underneath the bark. Even in those early years the bird was considered quite rare due to habitat loss up and down the major river systems of the southeast. The last well-documented population survived in the old growth forests of Louisiana’s Singer Tract until the 1940s, when logging of its last habitat resulted in the species being declared extinct.
Rediscovery in the 1950s Offers Hope
Then, in the 1950s, a pair of the woodpeckers was discovered in a remote swamp in northeast Louisiana by a local field biologist. J.J. Kuhn captured clear photos of the birds and recorded their vocalizations for the first scientific documentation of the ivory-bill in over 60 years. Sadly, despite this rediscovery, the clearing of the surrounding forests continued until the birds were gone once again. The news ignited interest in finding ivory-bills in other parts of its historic range, but searches of remaining southern swamps through the 1960s and 70s turned up no definitive evidence. Most scientists and bird authorities considered the ivory-billed woodpecker to have met its demise sometime in the mid-20th century due to human activities. Its apparent extinction was a high-profile symbol of the devastating loss of mature forests and wetlands across the South.
The Arkansas Revelations in 2004-2005
Everything changed in April of 2004 when a kayaker named Gene Sparling claimed to have seen an ivory-bill in the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge of Arkansas. This sighting led respected Cornell University ornithologists to launch a formal search effort in the area the following year. They recorded some brief video clips of a large woodpecker thought to show key identifying features of the ivory-bill and published their findings tentatively confirming the existence of at least one of the birds in the remote swamp forest. This sparked immense public interest and led to the formation of the Big Woods Conservation Partnership, an unprecedented alliance of government agencies, conservation groups and universities collaborating to follow up on evidence that a remnant population of ivory-bills persisted. Teams of researchers rigorously surveyed and scoured the most promising habitat through the 2000s.
The Controversy Over Evidence of Survival
Despite the intensive searches for the Arkansas birds, skeptics questioned whether the sightings and video really proved the existence of surviving ivory-bills. The evidence was contested by some experts as ambiguous and possibly showing a common look-alike species known as the pileated woodpecker. Furthermore, efforts to track down the birds and obtain clear photographs consistently failed. But proponents of the ivory-bill’s persistence argued that absence of evidence did not necessarily mean evidence of absence for such an elusive species in an enormous, inhospitable habitat. The subject became hotly debated between optimists and pessimists in ornithology circles. Despite tantalizing reports from time to time, no definitive proof has emerged in recent years that ivory-bills still survive in Arkansas or elsewhere. Yet the lack of solid evidence has also failed to conclusively disprove their existence. The official status of the ivory-billed woodpecker remains critically endangered and possibly extinct.
Sightings in Other States Spur Searches There
Interest generated by the Arkansas sightings also led to renewed ivory-bill searches in other promising habitat areas. In 2005, kayakers reported seeing a strange, large woodpecker flying over a remote bayou in eastern Louisiana. This prompted Tim Gallagher of the Cornell team to follow up on the sighting. He and his colleagues obtained a video showing a perched woodpecker they believed to be an ivory-bill. This sparked hopes that ivory-bills may have persisted in additional isolated sites, though skeptics again questioned whether the footage conclusively ruled out the look-alike pileated woodpecker.
Further south in Florida, an apparent flurry of credible sightings in the panhandle region in the late 1990s and early 2000s similarly led to organized searches and talk of preserving habitat in case ivory-bills were indeed still residing there. Again, elusive traces were found, including intriguing recordings of double-knocks and possible feather and roost sites, but definitive confirmation proved frustratingly hard to come by. Nonetheless, the searches led conservation groups to purchase forested tracts for protection.
Habitats Explored in Search Efforts
The key habitats surveyed for ivory-billed woodpeckers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida and elsewhere during the 2000s included:
- Bottomland hardwood swamp forests with mature trees and standing deadwood (for roosting/foraging)
- Large tracts of inaccessible, roadless forest interior away from human activity
- Swamps with extensive canopy cover and minimal understory (for flight space)
- Dense flooded forests of cypress and/or tupelo trees (for nesting cavities)
Researchers looked for characteristic signs of ivory-bill presence including:
- Distinctive rectangular cavities excavated in dead trees at least 15-25 ft high
- Foraging signs like scaled bark and large, rectangular bark flakes removed from tree trunks
- A unique double knock drumming sound audible at a distance
These habitats matched historical accounts and specimen records of where ivory-bills were found before their reported extinction. Unfortunately, very little pristine virgin forest with massive amounts of dead and dying trees remains in the southeastern states. The remoteness and inhospitable nature of the remaining tracts made searching difficult.
Is There Still Hope for the Ivory-bill?
Despite the challenges, the revelation that ivory-bills may still be clinging to survival sparked a huge collaborative effort by government agencies, scientists and conservation groups to follow up on evidence and try to preserve any remaining birds by protecting their habitat. The search efforts and publicity surrounding the Ivory-bill story contributed to major conservation initiatives in the South, including:
Federal “Recovery” Plan
In 2006 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a formal Ivory-billed Woodpecker Recovery Plan covering Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. This included objectives to define any remaining populations and protect their habitats. Though no definitive populations have been verified, the attention has increased awareness.
Cache River National Wildlife Refuge – Arkansas
This crucial protected area where sightings occurred in 2004 was expanded from 20,000 acres to over 80,000 acres as the federal government allotted new funding to conserve habitat. Though no ivory-bills have been definitively documented there recently, the enlarged refuge provides safe haven just in case.
Florida Ivory-bill Conservation Strategy
State agencies, universities and nonprofits collaborated on a “business plan” to follow up on Florida sightings and secure habitat. Hundreds of thousands of acres of additional forest were conserved for the benefit of ivory-bills and other wildlife. Protecting possible ivory-bill habitat aligned with other goals like securing clean drinking water for the region.
Private Lands Conservation
Groups like The Nature Conservancy partnered with major forest product companies and other large private landowners to secure conservation agreements and sustainable practices on over a million acres of timberlands in Arkansas, Louisiana and Florida as part of the overall search effort for ivory-bills. This allowed important habitat inventory and protection that benefits many species.
Conservation Lessons Learned
While the evidence for surviving ivory-bills remains inconclusive and their official status is still “critically endangered and possibly extinct”, the high-profile quest to follow up on sightings and the partnership efforts to conserve habitat brought valuable benefits:
- Advanced survey and monitoring techniques were developed to aid in the search – drone and camera traps, satellite imagery, etc.
- Tens of thousands of acres of protected lands were established or added to federal, state and private nature reserves.
- Diverse groups – from government agencies to corporations to birding groups – worked together.
- Public awareness was raised about endangered species, extinct species “rediscovery” efforts, and habitat conservation needs.
- Citizen scientists were mobilized in the search and monitoring efforts.
So while the definitive answer to the question “do ivory-bills still exist?” remains elusive, the net gains for conservation were substantial. The tantalizing possibility of this iconic bird persisting in the south helped drive expanded habitat protection that benefits many other rare and jeopardized species as well as people. The ivory-bill may indeed still haunt the swamps it evolved in, but even if not, the efforts made in its name were not in vain. As one wildlife official put it: “Either way, any time you can protect forests and habitat for such an incredible species, it’s going to benefit a huge suite of plants and animals that share that habitat.” The story is a testament both to the challenges of proving the existence of rare wildlife as well as the power of a potential rediscovery to motivate expanded conservation action.
Conclusion
The controversial and inspiring saga of reported ivory-billed woodpecker rediscoveries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida and elsewhere in the early 2000s sparked a huge collaborative effort to survey the most promising swamp forests and conserve habitat just in case a remnant population still survives. While definitive proof of the bird’s continued existence remains elusive, the net gains in terms of protected lands, improved survey methods, awareness, and partnerships were substantial. The hopes of once again seeing the iconic “Lord God bird” soar over its historic Southern swamps mobilized birders, scientists, government agencies, corporations and conservation groups to work together to secure critical habitat. Though likely gone, the phantom-like ivory-bill still haunts the imagination and drives efforts to preserve wild places where perhaps, just maybe, it still persists against the odds. The spirit of this majestic woodpecker continues inspiring exploration and conservation.