The ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) has been rediscovered in the Big Woods area of Arkansas, scientists announced late last week. Numerous sightings over the past year were confirmed when the bird was captured on video tape (available at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology website), lending definative evidence that the bird remains extant.
The ivory-billed woodpecker has long been considered extinct. It was last sighted in 1944 when a lone female was identified in a degraded, over-logged forest.
The ivory-billed woodpecker once inhabited the lowland wetlands and forests of the Southeastern US. But the destruction of the bird's habitat due to heavy logging during the late 1800s and early 1900s pushed the species into dramatic decline. This magnificent bird has a wingspan of up to 3 feet, making the ivory-billed woodpecker one the world's largest woodpeckers. These birds have red crests and black and white plumage on their wings and body.
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