An illustration of the rare ivory-billed woodpecker.
Click on image for full size
USFS

Where’s the Woodpecker? Rare Bird Sighted for First Time in 60 Years!
News story originally written on May 2, 2005

Nobody had seen an ivory-billed woodpecker for 60 years. Scientists thought it was probably extinct. These woodpeckers are shy and live deep in forests. But, recently, a bird has been spotted in Arkansas! Hooray! The ivory-billed woodpecker is not extinct!

These woodpeckers make their homes in dead trees. But people often cut dead trees down because they are not as beautiful, because they are homes to insect pests, or because they are likely to burn in wildfires. So, there are often few places left for these birds to make their homes.

Last modified May 2, 2005 by Lisa Gardiner.

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