A bit beyond the novice backyard birder, the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker is the unicorn of the bird-watching community. Standing nearly two feet tall black birds have a distinctive white pattern on their wings with just a touch of red and, you guessed it, an ivory bill; the woodpecker has been on the endangered list since the 1940s when deforestation threatened their habitat and was believed to be extinct. Until that is, one was allegedly spotted in Arkansas in the early 2000s.
Since the spotting, amateur birders, naturalists, and professional conservationists alike have flocked to the Big Woods area of Arkansas to try to spot the elusive bird. Ivory-billed woodpeckers, ironically, like the quiet, making the once secluded forest of Big Woods a perfect haven for this solitary bird. Though there have been several sightings – including a video of an Ivory-Billed Woodpecker in flight – and recordings of the bird’s signature double knock, none of these reports have been deemed indisputable; therefore, the bird remains on the list of extinct animals.
Whether the sightings are really an Ivory-Billed Woodpecker or not, the efforts to restore the habitat have been immense, which is enough for Gene Sparling, the man who spotted the bird in 2004 while out kayaking.
“The very best thing, the thing that makes me so proud of the effort and the thing that makes me feel so honored to have been a part of the effort, is the lands that have been added to habitat conservation in the area. Many key places help to rejoin existing patchwork of wild places into a contiguous corridor and that greatly improves the long-term viability of the wildness of the Big Woods.”
As for me, I like to think that they’re out there. That the bird found a way to survive.
If you’re feeling adventurous, take a trip to Big Woods and try to join the very short list of folks who have been fortunate enough to see an Ivory-Billed Woodpecker. Or, if you like, stay a little closer to home and check out the birds in your own backyard.
Information for this article came from the following: Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, Julie Kohl for Only in Arkansas.
Ryanne Harper
