Formerly “Extinct” Woodpecker Still Alive

[Michigan Swamp Buck]

Formerly “extinct” woodpecker still alive and pecking in Louisiana forests

April 15, 2022

Last year, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FSW) declared the ivory-billed woodpecker extinct. That, however, proved to be a premature move. That’s according to a team of researchers, bringing a new glimmer of hope for the bird’s existential status after reporting the woodpecker alive and pecking in the forests of Louisiana.
Still hanging on

The elusive bird had its last widely accepted sighting in 1944. The new series of pictures and observations from the research team shows that the evasive species is still hanging in there, according to the research.

The quest to find the woodpecker took almost three years and involved researchers spending days upon days walking through the woodlands of Louisiana observing birds and taking audio recordings. To take pictures of the bird, the scientists used a drone, as well as trail cameras to capture images on a time-lapse.

https://www.optimistdaily.com/2022/04/fo...a-forests/

Link to the source document that has grainy photos . . .

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/...399v1.full

Last year's extinction announcement . . .

https://www.audubon.org/news/-ivory-bill...extinct-us

Ivory Billed Woodpecker sightings map from 1944 to present . . .

https://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/news/species-profiles/historic-ranges-of-ivory-billed-woodpeckers


I put this up on ATS and wanted to give it a try here. I think there is more interest here, let's see.