Ivory-billed woodpecker

Description

The ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) is one of the largest woodpeckers in the world,at roughly 20 inches (51 cm) long and 30 inches (76 cm) in wingspan.It is native to the virgin forests of the Southeastern United States (along with a separate subspecies native to Cuba).Because of habitat destruction and,to a lesser extent,hunting,its numbers have dwindled to the point where whether any remain is uncertain,though reports have indicated it has been seen again in the current century.Almost no forests today can maintain an ivory-billed woodpecker population.The ivory-billed woodpecker ranks among the largest woodpeckers in the world and is the largest in the United States.The closely related and likewise possibly extinct imperial woodpecker (C.imperialis) of western Mexico is,or was,the largest woodpecker.The ivory-billed has a total length of 48 to 53 cm (19 to 21 in),and based on very scant information,weighs about 450 to 570 g (0.99 to 1.26 lb).It has a typical 76 cm (30 in) wingspan.Standard measurements attained included a wing chord length of 23.5–26.5 cm (9.3–10.4 in),a tail length of 14–17 cm (5.5–6.7 in),a bill length of 5.8–7.3 cm (2.3–2.9 in),and a tarsus length of 4–4.6 cm (1.6–1.8 in).The bird is shiny blue-black with white markings on its neck and back and extensive white on the trailing edge of both the upper- and underwing.The underwing is also white along its forward edge,resulting in a black line running along the middle of the underwing,expanding to more extensive black at the wingtip.In adults,the bill is ivory in color,and chalky white in juveniles.Ivory-bills have a prominent crest,although in juveniles it is ragged.The crest is black in juveniles and females.In males,the crest is black along its forward edge,changing abruptly to red on the side and rear.The chin of an ivory-billed woodpecker is black.When perched with the wings folded,birds of both sexes present a large patch of white on the lower back,roughly triangular in shape.These characteristics distinguish them from the smaller and darker-billed pileated woodpecker.The pileated woodpecker normally is brownish-black,smoky,or slaty black in color.It also has a white neck stripe,but the back is normally black.Pileated woodpecker juveniles and adults have a red crest and a white chin.Pileated woodpeckers normally have no white on the trailing edges of their wings and when perched,normally show only a small patch of white on each side of the body near the edge of the wing.However,pileated woodpeckers,apparently aberrant individuals,have been reported with white trailing edges on the wings,forming a white triangular patch on the lower back when perched.Like all woodpeckers,the ivory-billed woodpecker has a strong and straight bill and a long,mobile,hard-tipped,barbed tongue.Among North American woodpeckers,the ivory-billed woodpecker is unique in having a bill whose tip is quite flattened laterally,shaped much like a beveled wood chisel.