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Kristy Wright
212/979-3027
kwright@audubon.org

New York, NY, April 28, 2005—National Audubon Society, BirdLife International, and other conservationists around the globe joined in celebration at today’s announcement that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker has been found in eastern Arkansas. The last accepted sightings of an Ivory-billed Woodpecker were in Cuba in 1987 and 1988, and the last fully documented United States sighting occurred in Louisiana in 1944. While there have been a number of reports of possible Ivory-billed Woodpecker sightings since then, none have been confirmed prior to today’s announcement.

"All of us who share this planet owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the individuals and organizations, especially The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Nature Conservancy, whose tireless efforts led to the rediscovery of this bird," said John Flicker, president of the National Audubon Society. “Thanks to their dedication, we all have a second chance to save this magnificent woodpecker from extinction. As it inspires our hopes, this resilient Ivory-billed Woodpecker must also inspire our commitment to protect the habitat it needs for survival.”

“This extraordinary rediscovery provides hope for the 18 species classified as Potentially Extinct, such as Jamaican Petrel, Javan Lapwing and Pink-headed Duck,” says Dr. Michael Rands, director and chief executive, BirdLife International.

A large, approximately 20-inch bird, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker is dependent on old-growth forests of very large trees, such as cypress, for its habitat. Destruction and fragmentation of virgin bottomland forests throughout the southern United States, including floodplain forests along the Mississippi River and its tributaries, led to its decline and eventually to its believed extinction.

“The discovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker will make this site an Important Bird Area of global significance,” said Flicker. Launched in 1981 by BirdLife International, the Important Bird Areas (IBA) program is a global effort to identify and protect critical bird habitat. Audubon fosters the protection of more than 1,800 IBAs coast to coast by engaging individuals, communities, organizations, and agencies in the stewardship, restoration, and conservation of Important Bird Areas.

“We must work to protect other remaining tracts of mature contiguous forest, and the IBA program is an important tool in this endeavor. Audubon pledges to work with state, local, and federal agencies and other conservation organizations involved with this effort to protect this bird and its habitat,” Flicker continued.

Audubon and BirdLife International are urging members of the public to ensure the safety of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker by respecting its privacy. Stress from human disturbance poses a threat to its survival.

More information on the Ivory-billed Woodpecker

More information from Audubon Arkansas

Audubon is celebrating its centennial year of protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Our national network of community-based nature centers and chapters, scientific and educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations, engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in positive conservation experiences.

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