Ivory-billed woodpeckers were thought to be extinct until 2004 when a fleeting video image, shot in an Arkansas swamp, was made public. The search for more conclusive evidence brought wildlife biologists to the swampy forests of the Florida Panhandle where they say they saw the bird, but failed to photograph it. The search resumes in November – funded it part by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. FWC Biologist Karl Miller says a positive I.D. could have wide ranging benefits.

“The river systems in north Florida are extensive and fortunately so much of the wildlife habitat in the old growth swamp forests in our state is still intact in North Florida and I hope that it would help to get a little more attention on preserving and managing that habitat for all wildlife not just ivory-bills

The researcher team from Auburn University also says it found what look like ivory-bill nesting cavities in large trees. This nesting season cameras will be trained on those trees in hopes of capturing images of what some call “The Lord God Bird”.


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Wildlife Biologists from Auburn University published a report this week that they’ve seen, heard and found the probable nesting sites of ivory-billed woodpeckers in the Florida Panhandle. But they failed to get a photograph of the rare bird that some ornithologists fear is extinct. So the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is going to help – providing funding to help capture the ivory-bill’s image. FWC Biologist Karl Milller says camera’s will be trained on tree cavities that are probable nesting sites.

“They do plan use a lot of remote cameras that will record birds coming and going from cavities so that is part of their search plan, they also will have enough people working out in the field to spread out and hopefully cover the area pretty intensively and do a lot of watching waiting and listening.”

The last documented sighting of an ivory-billed woodpecker was in 1944. A video image of 2004 sighting in Arkansas is still being disputed.