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'Extinct' bird flies again
EFL:The ivory-billed woodpecker, long-thought extinct, has been spotted in a remote section of Arkansas for the first time in more than half a century, according to new report. Evidence of the bird's continued survival — documented by a team of researchers who published their findings in the journal Science Thursday — sent shock waves through the ornithological circles Thursday, with experts calling the find nothing short of a miracle.The previous confirmed sighting of an ivory-billed woodpecker in continental North America occurred in 1944. Since then anecdotal reports have persisted, although the bird has been listed as one of six North American bird species suspected or known to have become extinct since 1880.In an article published Thursday in the journal Science, however, a team of researchers, led by Cornell University's John Fitzpatrick, revealed that at least eight independent sightings of the bird have now been documented. In one case a video clip, though blurry, showed key features, including the size and markings consistent with the ivory-billed woodpecker, Mr. Fitzpatrick said. "We have conclusive proof that the ivory-billed woodpecker has survived into the 21st century," Mr. Fitzpatrick said. "We know that in the spring of 2004 there was at least one ivory-bill in this forest." The Audubon Society's web site lists the ivory-billed woodpecker — officially known as Campephilus principalis — as "presumed extinct." It describes the bird as a large black and white woodpecker, surpassed only in size by the imperial woodpecker of Mexico. It can grow up to 48 centimetres long and weight 520 grams, with a wingspan of almost 84 centimetres. Males have a red crest, while females have a black head and crest. "White wing patches and a stripe down the side of its neck continuing down its back distinguished it from the pileated woodpecker, the only bird that could have been confused with this species," the society said in its description of the bird. The bird is larger than a pileated woodpecker, which is similar in appearance, and has the black-and-while markings of the ivory-billed bird. When flying, however, the ivory-billed woodpecker does not undulate like other woodpeckers, travelling instead more like a duck. Its drum is a single or double rap, and its sounds like "a toy trumpet repeated in a series or as a double note." The sightings documented in Thursday's article each came from separate people or teams and occurred during the past two years within three kilometres of one another in the Big Woods region of Arkansas, which is marked by swamps and bottomland hardwood forests. Researchers could not determine how many individual birds were encountered during the sightings. "It is a landmark rediscovery," Scott Simon, director of Arkansas chapter of The Nature Conservancy, said. "Finding the ivory-bill in Arkansas validates decades of great conservation work and represents an incredible story of hope for the future." 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, Ark. After learning of the sighting, Tim Gallagher of Cornell and Bobby Harrison of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Ark., travelled to the area with Mr. Sparling and also sighted the bird. Other sightings followed, including one on April 25, 2004, in which David Luneau of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock videotaped the bird taking off from the trunk of a tree. Ms. Present said it is not surprising that the ivory-billed woodpecker has been able to stay out of sight for so long. "You have to think about its habitat," she said. "It's a huge bird, so it needs very large trees in order to nest. It requires old growth forests, places that were not logged. "And it resides in forests in wetlands, no less. These places are often accessible only by boat or helicopter." As well, she said, the ivory-billed woodpecker is a shy bird by nature — unlike the closely related pileated woodpecker, which is more willing to come out around people — so it would also avoid human contact. At this stage, she said, it becomes "really critical" to protect the bird's habitat.
Posted by: Steve 2005-04-28 |
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