The company brushed aside pleas from four Southern governors and the National Audubon Society that the tract be publicly purchased and set aside as a reserve, and clearcut the forest. According to Wikipedia, “In 1938, an estimated 20 individuals remained in the wild, some 6-8 of which were located in the old-growth forest called the Singer Tract in Louisiana where logging rights were held by the Chicago Mill and Lumber Company. The species disappeared after forest clearing destroyed millions of acres of virgin forest throughout the South between the 1880s and mid-1940s. Because of its specialized feeding habits, the bird required a large area of mature forests of dead standing trees where the beetle larvae live. Its food was primarily beetle larvae which it obtained by stripping the tree bark with its ivory-colored bill. This black-and-white bird lived in old-growth forests of the southeastern U.S. There have been no confirmed sightings of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker since 1948. In spite of many claims and several expeditions by ornithologists, no clear evidence has been found for the continued existence of the Ivory-billed. In December 2008, the Nature Conservancy announced a reward of $50,000 for leading a project biologist to a living Ivory-billed Woodpecker. In June 2006, a $10,000 reward was offered for information leading to the discovery of an Ivory-billed Woodpecker nest, roost or feeding site. In 2004, reports of a sighting were investigated but could not be confirmed. The Ivory-billed Woodpecker ( Campephilus principalis) was one of the largest woodpeckers in the world, 20 inches in length with 30 inch wings. It is almost certain that what they saw was the Pileated Woodpecker, found throughout the eastern U.S., the Pacific Northwest, and southern Canada, and a close relative of the Ivory-billed. On occasion someone e-mails me telling me that they have just spotted an Ivory-billed Woodpecker. How Studying Ornithology Can Help Us Better Understand Our Environment and Ourselves.Guide to Graduate Studies in Ornithology in 2023.The Tenacity of Flight: How Birds Inspire Perseverance in Humans. Careers in Ornithology- Becoming an Ornithologist.Binoculars (and Spotting ‘Scopes) for Birds.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |