Does This Man Have Proof the Ivory-billed Woodpecker is NOT Extinct? (With Matt Courtman)

Ivory-billed Woodpecker researcher Matt Courtman shares his experiences searching for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Louisiana. Many people believe this bird to be long gone but this man has allegedly seen the birds twice in 2019 and he has recorded what sounds like their calls in 2017. With the recent proposed extinction declaration, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker is once again in the spotlight, bringing up the question, does it still exist?
Link to The Louisiana Wilds
/ thelouisianawilds
Link to Mission Ivorybill
/ missionivorybill
Ivory-billed Woodpecker Images used in this video are public domain
Background for cover photo by Cyndy Sims Parr used under CC by 2.0
flic.kr/p/mwXAi
#Birding #BirdWatching #BadgerlandBirding

[@michaeljorgensen790]

Back in 2008 on a woodsy backroad near the TX-LA border I saw what I thought was a female Pileated woodpecker fly across the road. I noted it had a black crest instead of a red one and more white on the wings...so it was different than the Pileated woodpeckers I am familiar with. Weeks later I went online to see what a female Pileated woodpecker should look like and discovered what I most likely saw was a female ivory billed woodpecker. At the time of me seeing it I never even gave a thought to taking a picture of it because at the time I had no idea how rare (considered possibly extinct) they were.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

That’s awesome! Do you mind sharing a more specific location if you can?

[@michaeljorgensen790]

@@BadgerlandBirding I was visiting an oil drilling land rig east of Jasper TX. The maze of back roads and oil rigs moving around every so often makes it so I would not be able to identify the specific location now.

[@everettplummer9725]

In-laws in Southern Georgia have backyard visits since 2015. Only the male though. The area has a environment of dead trees in the surrounding areas. But clean up is putting the habitat in peril. Should not mention Thomasville or Bar... Maybe some team of experts could go down and stop the land improvements, before it's too late.

[@johnsiegferth704]

Ok ok

[@KKIcons]

@@BadgerlandBirdingbtw when I heard them last week I was 30 miles w of Jasper. I read of another report in E TX Big Thicket area that was deemed unlikely because near a road. But this might be good news, maybe the birds can adapt? The loggers have gotten a lot of the big trees. Maybe the few big ones left are near the roads and in our yards.

[@user-xe6xp3kt1c]

They are out there. I'm 16 and I've been fascinated by the ivory-billed woodpecker and the imperial woodpecker for a long long time ever since I did a project on it in elementary school. I absolutely believe they are out there... ❤

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Glad to see we have a good amount of young people interested in birds. Keep it up!

[@Chasstful]

There no longer out there, sorry. Top ornithologists concur.

[@user-xe6xp3kt1c]

@@Chasstful I can still hope they are.

[@Chasstful]

@@user-xe6xp3kt1c yes, you can....

[@johntodd8561]

@@Chasstful Cornell in the early 2000's didn't concur. I haven't seen their position in recent years, especially with the videos that have surfaced since 2005. Additionally, noted bird artist David Sibley didn't agree the Luneau video from 2005 was adequate proof. However, I would be curious of Sibley's opinion of the Michael Collins video of a large woodpecker under his tree stand, from left to right. Some of the top ornithologists / avian experts you reference, and I wonder who they are, seem to now be shy from committing. Hmmmm. Isn't it suspect to you the USFWS didn't, at least knowingly, interpret and review any of the videos that surfaced post- Luneau, especially Michael Collins? As a point, up until 1938, a fish called the coelacanth was deemed a fossil record from 65 million years ago. There are now two known populations of this "dinosaur."

[@stevenspry1339]

I don't know if I saw an "Ivory-billed woodpecker". I did see the most unique experience with a woodpecker I have ever seen. I was in Abita Springs and stepped off the porch and heard a woodpecker, I look over to the tree line and saw at the top of a pine tree the largest woodpecker I have ever seen. the very distinct point on its head and red and white. it's movement was what I was so surprised about. It would pick short bursts and then climb up the tree, then fly down to the bottom of the tree in such a smooth motion and cling to the bottom and then pick short bursts and then climb up short distances and peck and then climb up a short distance several times until he got to the top and fly back to the bottom of another tree. he looked to be about two foot tall, huge in my view. This was in 2003 in Abita Springs. he left after the third tree and flew off from the top of the tree. huge bill, pointy head and red, white and black. clean and beautiful woodpecker.

[@BaysingersDiscGolfChannel]

This was a great interview. I have loved birds my whole life but am fairly new to birding and keeping a list. (Started in 2019) Loved this and I must hear more about the IBW. Is there a full, uncut version of this interview? I would love to listen to it in its entirety

[@kristinacook5329]

I’m 28 years old and I’ve been fascinated by the IBW from the time I could read my grandma’s book, “Birds of North America”. I’ve always believed they were still out there and the evidence I’ve seen leads me to believe that to be true. I’d do anything to be able to see one at least once in my life.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Check out Geoff Hill’s paper from him and his team’s work in the 2000s. It doesn’t get a lot of press but it sounds like they had a lot of interactions with IBWO if they were correct in their IDs. www.ace-eco.org/vol1/iss3/art2/

[@JJE2010MO]

Great video, thanks for helping keep the flame alive! Had a big laugh at your "recovering attorney" comment! :)

[@WayneTheSeine]

Great video of a very good interview.....there is hope!

[@susanfoote-martin6684]

Keep going! Thanks for the great story!

[@gatorhawk]

"Woah... Big Bird... Magpie" Lol, I'm dying

[@BadgerlandBirding]

😂

[@johntodd8561]

I remember the Heckle and Jeckle magpie cartoons.

[@jrnfw4060]

@@johntodd8561 And Woody Woodpecker cartoons are based on the Ivory Billed. But, it could also be said that they are based on the Pileated, since the two birds look similar. Most serious birders can tell them apart, as there are enough conspicuous differences between them. For one thing, the crest of the female Ivory Billed is black, whereas both sexes of the Pileated have red crests -- the male's being more extensive on their heads.

[@barbaracole709]

I love the Congaree and it’s gift shop! They have nice stuffed animals. I think that’s cool that they sell an ivory-billed woodpecker. It’s great to make people aware of them. I hope they are out there somewhere! Thanks for the interesting video!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

You’re welcome! I hope they’re out there too!

[@brennanperry8001]

My ecology class introduced me to this rabbit hole, and I'm fascinated by how far it goes. It's like bigfoot, but with a more than zero chance of it existing.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

I wouldn’t say 0% chance

[@jrnfw4060]

You know that HOW?

[@markhoffman4587]

Tell that to people who have had Sasquatch encounters

[@YvonneSebastian1980]

He a good story teller.. learned a lot.. hey Derek.. how ya doing.. love all the interest in a very cool bird.. my gut says they still here… happy birding..☮️❤️

[@BadgerlandBirding]

I'm doing well, Yvonne! Thanks for asking. I hope they're still out there, too!

[@DukeRamrod]

I saw one in the mid 90s in rural central florida. I knew it wasnt a pileated woodpecker so i pointed it out to the family friend we were visiting and he said "oh yeah, those are supposed to be extinct but there's a couple out here" I could give the location but ive never seen one again in the nearly 30 years since.

[@MsDee_777]

You'd think that ornithologists in general would be more optimistic over the "still" existence of the IBW. I'm a the glass is half full kinda gal so there's that 😊 You GO Matt, find that IBW , I have faith in you!!!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Some do! Geoff Hill of Auburn, University and Dr. John Fitzpatrick of Cornell are both optimistic that the birds still exist.

[@mickeymcleanmclean8621]

Great job Matt.

[@banetrstenik85]

Let's hope for the best and amazing news soon 🍀Greetings and best wishes from Serbia

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Hope for the best! Thanks for watching!

[@never2late454]

He needs to go and check out the calcasieu river in Indian village Louisiana. I've seen and heard them on rare occasions in the cypress swamps in that area when fishing. I've seen them flying across the river on rare occasions. They make a noise like the paper party device you blow through where on the end the paper unrolls as you blow through it.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Interesting! Any specific locations? Feel free to email as well [e-mail]

[@never2late454]

I can pin point the exact location on a map of the last sighting I had. It's in the old growth cypress area on the calcasieu river in Indian village. It's not hard to locate

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@never2late454 great! Can you email it over?

[@bigrooster6893]

I wish people would do a little more research the Singer tract wasn’t the last uncut 2,000 year growth of bottomland trees. The Congaree National forest here in South Carolina has never been cut. It is still the only track of land that still has the 2,000 year old growth of trees there’s been a lot of ivory billed woodpecker spotting there. The Congaree National Park has just the type of bottomland the ivory bill used as habitat, the 11,000 acres of old growth forest is the largest remaining uncut tract in the country.

[@user-bq9ww8qv3b]

RECORDING COMPARISON START TIMES: 21:20 (Arthur Allen's 1935 calls; recorded near nest cavity) 21:38 (Matt Courtman 2017 calls; recording #1) 21:52 (Matt Courtman 2017 calls; recording #2)

[@ABirdersParadise]

I completely agree that you should just have cameras. Binoculars are pretty much useless, in my opinion, because you only see the bird while it's there. From my experience, rare birds only show up when you don't have a camera, and that is why I try not to go anywhere without my camera. Great interview! Too bad he didn't get a picture of the IBWs when he saw them. If I was there in Southwestern US, I would definitely be out searching for an IBW.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Haha, that's so true about rare birds only showing up when you don't have a camera. One of the main issues with searching around here is access. At least in Louisiana, a lot of the areas that would be good to search are hard to reach, extremely hot in the summer, require a watercraft, and are full of other critters such as Cottonmouths and Alligators.

[@ABirdersParadise]

Yeah, I don't like the idea of dealing with Cottonmouths and Alligators, but I think it would be worth it if you could find an IBW. Those reasons are why I agree with you about all efforts not being exhausted to find the IBW.

[@Alan-gi2ku]

You have as much chance of seeing one in the southwest as you do in the southeast, maybe more with peyote on board.

[@Alan-gi2ku]

Most importantly, bring a “way back” machine.

[@Chasstful]

You can look all you like, they are extinct. These observers are not reliable, sorry but SCIENCE is real whether we like it or not.

[@joshuamitcham1519]

I live in Splendora Texas,on the west side of the east fork of the San Jacinto River. There was a large ivory bill on a big old white oak in my front yard. I tried to catch a photo of it but the picture was grainy. I called Texas Parks and Wildlife and reported the sighting and received a call back soon after. The woman took my statement and asked me to video record the bird if possible but I need a good camera.

[@416dl]

I'm not sure if they exist, but I'm pretty sure that even years of looking the way the professional ornithologists have been over the last couple of decades amounts to little more than peering into the tangled wilderness from the edge which I can believe would be less than adequate if this bird is as elusive and wary as it has been speculated by other researchers. I hope Matt whose blog I've read and find within it much to consider continues his study in hopes of documenting its persistence in those all but inaccessible bottomlands. As for State and/or Federal agencies declaring them extinct, while I think it's premature, I wonder if it would make much difference, as elusive and inconspicuous as they've been over the last half century. Have to admit it's a tremendous if somewhat confounding behavioral adaptation in any era and particularly now but I could hardly begrudge it for having done so. Tally ho.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Yeah, it really depends on if forest management changes. If there's no push to develop possible habitat then the extinction declaration really wouldn't make a difference.

[@ericabrown4478]

Matt come to Florida this bird still exists .I live Jacksonville FL and I seen one of this bird as recently as 2018 . It use visit a tree in my yard at time. I called him woody

[@Alan-gi2ku]

More BS.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Most reported sightings, especially in yards are likely "Pileated Woodpeckers". They look similar to the Ivory-billed and are still abundant, but feel free to send us photos: [e-mail].

[@paulgraber9222]

You should upload the full length interview

[@BadgerlandBirding]

If you really want to see the full length I can send it to you. Send me an email: [e-mail]

[@thorsvenson3530]

This was very interesting. Anyone familiar with birding will be skeptic: Woodpeckers are not hard birds to find. They are not nocturnal, and this one is huge. While there are definitely birds out there to find, ALL the discoveries I am familiar with from the past decades are either nocturnal, or in remote areas. Very few, if any, areas in the US are remote enough to hide unknown birds. And again, these are not owls, they are giant woodpeckers; birds that are usually very easy to see.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Everybody is skeptic, as they should be, except those that claim to have seen one.

[@jrnfw4060]

If they've never really been gregarious, then maybe they aren't as prolific or as common as other woodpeckers are, and wouldn't be seen as often. Not all woodpeckers are "everywhere", as you claim. Certain species may indeed be quite rare. But rare isn't extinct. As I've stated above, their non-existence has yet to be absolutely and irrefutably proven.

[@dogtoddy]

@@jrnfw4060there isn't a place they could have spent the last 80 years.

[@wyomingadventures]

I think they still exist. Great interview with Matt!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Thanks!

[@randallkohn6089]

I have video and pics from Congaree NP last February 2023. I’m about 75 yards away. Hadn’t seen a Pileated since I was a kid in Maryland. I’m 60 now. It has white on its wings but just the edges, so at the time I only assumed it was a Pileated.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Hey, Randall! Could you email us the photos to check out? [e-mail]

[@dogtoddy]

Where have you been living?

[@kevinpoe8137]

I think there’s hope for both the ivory bill and the imperial, the Louisiana swamp is vast and pretty tough terrain and the imperial’s habitat is in the middle of cartel country, making it pretty hard to go in and search

[@PeterThieledigital]

Photography in thick woods is really tough. I am an amateur wildlife photog.... Getting that clear shot is almost impossible unless you get one in the open.

[@thebackyardbear]

I am thoroughly convinced that they still exist in the isolated swamps, and do not venture out of their home range since land management practices keep any dead wood cut down to stop bug infestations and thru prescribed fires.

[@hspg]

The 2017 recordings sound like trees creaking to me

[@PatL0]

It is amzing to me that with all the high resolution cameras and technology that we cannot come up with a picture of this bird or a UFO that we can see the object clearly

[@leonidaslantz5249]

Excellent video.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Thanks!

[@portcullis5622]

To all of the negative people out there who insist that this bird is extinct, well you can't prove any species is extinct, but you can prove it is extant. Unless a species was only found on a small island and the habitat is destroyed,, declaring the extinction of a species has to be educated guesswork. As long as there is a sizeable area of suitable habitat, there is always a slim chance that a few may have been overlooked. So, keep an open mind and let the optimists keep searching.

[@dalemontes1117]

I saw one in my yard in East Texas 2 months ago. In my big oak tree.

[@JA51711]

They are not extinct we need to get more proof for such a secretive bird +not easy. Thank you

[@BadgerlandBirding]

You’re welcome!

[@grandspringdale1564]

It would be nice to see them back in Western Kentucky again😎

[@christinecanty5409]

I believe there are many animals that have been labeled extinct are still around today. There have been too many sightings.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

It's very possible. Tasmanian tiger is one that comes to mind that people keep allegedly seeing

[@antlerking69]

Did Matt say he's a "recovering lawyer" 😂

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Indeed

[@dogtoddy]

www.lasc.org/opinions/2006/06OB1178.pc.pdf

[@dogtoddy]

I read a CNN article that said Matt Courtman had been disbarred.

[@kennethbarron178]

How can I get into contact with someone about a sighting of this bird? I have video and pics

[@BadgerlandBirding]

You can email them to us at [e-mail]

[@PokeRealmz]

We had one on the golf course I worked on in Greer South Carolina in the early 2000's. No one believed me and said it had to be a different type, but a saw it clearly on multiple occasions.

[@nathanwebb4836]

I saw one in the summer of 2018 in a woodlot next to a big lake just north of Enterprise, Alabama. First I heard it and then I saw it. It was truly a wonderful woodpecker to see.

[@micahhuge1474]

its probably pileated! IF NOT report it

[@ukrpgfan4029]

You never.....

[@stephenlochetto2819]

Hi, I'm wondering if it's better NOT to say where people have seen them? won't everyone come tramping through the area to see one and scare them away?

[@BadgerlandBirding]

I thought this too at first, but nobody has been able to get that killer photo or video so in my opinion, letting people go try is better than keeping it secret. Most of these areas that birds are reported are fairly difficult to get to as well.

[@delsobdiniz]

I live in the state of Pernambuco Brasil and this woodpecker is not extinct . I live in a small town called Escada and this birds are around .

[@dogtoddy]

You're talking about a different species. There are 200+ woodpecker species in the world.

[@donaldfazende8536]

So I'm watching a fishing video recently, All the sudden I hear the Kent call,I think that's what it's called. Then I hear a pileated call once then more Kent calls. The fellow is oblivious to it he is busy fishing. Who could I get to substantiate the calls. In no expert but my mouth dropped. I'm stuck..??

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Hey, Donald! I’m no expert on the calls but I’d be happy to take a look! Allegedly Blue Jays and other birds can possibly make similar calls but I’ve never heard them before. Can you email me the link? [e-mail]

[@jackieserfass4537]

I'm staying at a campground in CENLA and I've seen a male and female at this park on a lake. Im gonna try and get a picture. I saw the white band under its wing as it flew away!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Definitely try and get some photos!

[@jrnfw4060]

Since you saw both sexes, was the crest of one of them black? If so, you did indeed see a pair of Ivory Billed. The crests on both sexes of Pileateds are red.

[@pvs58]

I'm wondering about the 1935 sound recordings... they always seem higher and more disturbed than the more recent sounds recorded. I guess that's understandable given Tanner was near the nest. I have heard Blue Jays in the Northeast render a dead-on imitation. And I have seen evidence of tight-bark having been painstakingly stripped away in places where IBWO never lived. Yet I'm ready to close up the house next winter and get into the swamp!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

It could be a difference of the recording equipment. And I’ve heard about the Blue Jay mimic calls but I’ve never heard a recording of one! Do you know of any that are recorded that I could check out?

[@pvs58]

OK I just heard your recordings... sounds better to my ear than the 2005 Big Woods recordings.

[@jrnfw4060]

@@BadgerlandBirding Indeed, recording technology could have made the difference in sound quality over the decades. In 1935, it was rather primitive. I refuse to write these birds off. There still are areas on our planet, and within our own nation, that we have yet to explore because they're so remote, so inhospitable to humans, and so inaccessible to us, even with our most advanced technology.

[@happybee7725]

They were already a fairly rare species to see anyway and the fact they need huge territories and the type of habitat they live in makes it even harder for them to spot so even if there was just a dramatic decrease in their population its not a real stretch of the imagination to think they are still out there unseen. Or atleast un caught on camera. Just my opinion.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Yeah it’s hard to say at this point.

[@allieflounder5764]

I saw a very large woodpecker during a fishing trip on the Suwannee river in September 2022. The thing that struck me was the length of the wings. Very long and slender. I have seen plenty of pileated woodpeckers and this immediately struck me as different. I didn’t unfortunately get a picture, but they may still be there.

[@bernie4268]

It’s encouraging to know that there just might be enough wild territory out there that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker can survive far from humanity. What pisses me off is that the Singer tract was not saved by the powers that be.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

I heard that they tried hard to buy it but the main company out of Chicago wouldn’t budge.

[@kurtdavis7588]

​​@@BadgerlandBirdingon't believe the lie about the singer tract and the last piece of virgin forest in the south. I've been in the South now for close to three decades Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Texas and South Carolina. There is still 10000's acres of pristine, untouched forest in those areas, especially the extremely difficult to access land. Two States with large amounts of perfect habitat would be Louisiana and South Carolina. Those two states also unfortunately seem to be the most difficult to access. South carolina and Louisiana are by far the hottest states I've lived in that can make for a miserable experience out in the woods.

[@reversediabetes123]

Could you please post the interview with no editing?

[@BadgerlandBirding]

The full interview is over 2 hours long, but if you want to send us an email I can send you a link. [e-mail]

[@reversediabetes123]

@@BadgerlandBirding I tried emailing you but it bounced and I copy/pasted it. Can you check the spelling? or maybe just post the link?

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@reversediabetes123 yeah I screwed it up. Sorry about that! [e-mail]

[@antlerking69]

👍👍

[@BadgerlandBirding]

👍👍

[@gives_bad_advice]

I am 46 and I like woodpeckers.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Nice!

[@jrnfw4060]

We have five species of woodpecker where I live in the inland northwest. We have Downies, Hairies, Flickers, Red-Naped Sapsuckers and Pileateds.

[@wendyhenschel.]

If i lived in the south i would be out looking for them. I am sure they exist in the lesser known parts of forest that humans do not travel much

[@BadgerlandBirding]

I think people underestimate how much land is down here and how little access there is.

[@wendyhenschel.]

@@BadgerlandBirding lived in North Carolina out in the boonies for 10 years. Tons of farmland behind me. Hundreds of acres. Even thousands between multiple owners. Saw and heard all kinds of wildlife including a wolf a couple times. Something they say did not exist in n.c.. no mistaking that guy. Used to find their tracks in my yard till i fenced it off.

[@kristinacook5329]

@@wendyhenschel. could they have been red wolves? It would have to be eastern NC

[@wendyhenschel.]

@@kristinacook5329 i lived on the other side of the state at the mountains. All the red wolves were out at the coast. No i had seen a white one a few times walking along the edge of the woods. Bigger than the red ones. It may have been a pale grey/silver but too me it looked pure white. Paw prints were much bigger as well.

[@Happywife226]

I believe, they are still out there.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

I hope so!

[@jmarylastone]

I think they are still there

[@BadgerlandBirding]

It's possible!

[@msdemeanor6039]

👍

[@BadgerlandBirding]

👍

[@carolshannon6449]

Hey all, can't help but notice this video has had 18K views. If everyone just clicked subscribe, these guys would've surpassed that nemesis bird 10K subscribers :)

[@kennethbarron178]

This is going to sound funny, but I think I have your bird here in South GA. I remember seeing these large red crested woodpeckers as a kid and when I spotted this one in my backyard some months ago, I was surprised to learn that this large woodpecker might be thought of as extinct. I have pictures and video of this bird taken June 19th 2022. I've seen this bird on many occasions I've even seen one driving on a country road on my way to work recently. I live in a very small community, and around here people really don't pay much attention to every single creature they come across, let alone realize that it might be extinct. I would like to post a picture of this bird for further inspection and if it turns out to be and ivory billed supposedly extinct woodpecker, it would be refreshing to think I've had one hammering away in my backyard all this time.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Are you sure it’s not a Pileated Woodpecker? www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/overview

[@willholmes7032]

I am not sure if its a cousin or the actual bird. But I have a bird similar to that picture on my property here in the rural area of Northwest Florida. I am pretty sure I can get a picture of this bird.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

It’s most-likely a Pileated Woodpecker, but if you can get a picture, send it over! [e-mail]

[@willholmes7032]

@@BadgerlandBirding Did this bird have specific sound and if so is there a recording of it, because I hear this bird all the time.

[@willholmes7032]

o

[@willholmes7032]

No I just looked up Pileated woodpecker and this bird looks bigger and different than that. I have been within 5 feet from this bird. It was banging on the side of a shed looking for bugs in the wood and I thought it was someone on the back side of the shed using a hammer. When I rounded the building this bird was right in my face and flew away from me and I got a good look at the rear color pattern. I still see it from a distance a few times a month.

[@willholmes7032]

It has the sound of high squeaking duck at times and rather loud. I will see if I can get a picture of it. There is an old beaver pond down the hill from my home and I hear it down there.

[@ciaragarrity6425]

I saw one or two in my backyard on a tree yesterday. Im in Illinois state.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Was it a Pileated Woodpecker? www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/overview

[@ciaragarrity6425]

@@BadgerlandBirding No, it was something else.

[@Edwarddiaz21]

Do you know how to count? Was it 1 or 2?

[@carenann918]

If they aren't extinct how is it their numbers haven't apparently increased over the last decades? Sorry if I missed this in the discussion.

[@dogtoddy]

That's a good question. I've never seen them answer this question.

[@danielkey929]

I want to go look. However, everything tells me the only way the Ivory Bill is coming back is thru a Jurassic Park event..........

[@danielkey929]

I'm trying to be a recovering lawyer. One more year and that oughtta do it. Been fascinated by these birds since I was 10.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

It's really hard to say at the moment. What I can say is out of the birds recently proposed to be considered extinct the IBWO has the best change at still hanging around considering it's wide original range, in my opinion. Until I see evidence with my own eyes I can't definitely make a statement, but there sure are a lot of people stating they've seen the bird/recorded "kent" calls and double knocks.

[@terrycrosby9149]

Can't blame anyone for saying that they see the ivory bill I'm 60 years old as I understand why know scientists or bird watcher will ever be told were to find a mating pare it's not worth it they will leave and did there by far the the most wood pecker.

[@musiccityfishing6712]

Hello I have a very large male at my house anyone I can get contact with?

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Would it be possible to get a photo of it?

[@musiccityfishing6712]

@@BadgerlandBirdingneed something with Motion Sensor. I do have video

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@musiccityfishing6712 send it our way! [e-mail]

[@musiccityfishing6712]

@@BadgerlandBirding better I have video

[@musiccityfishing6712]

@@BadgerlandBirding y’all need to call me and hear me out do you have an email I have other videos I’m trying to get still picture one time I got really close to him because he was hanging upside down Peking out bee larvae it’s definitely a Ivory Bill there is two of them they are at my house weekly for five years

[@joeday397]

This is just like th guy in Australia or tasmania who called blurry footage of a pademelon proof of the existence of a "thylacine"😄

[@dixxebell]

Im hoping to hear a Bachman's Warbler at some point....it could happen.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Not as familiar with Bachman’s Warbler efforts but unfortunately from what I’ve heard there’s much more of a consensus that they’re gone :( But you never know :)

[@grandwonder5858]

They don't care about the bird until it has gone extinct!

[@huskyluvjones7326]

I know that bird is still out there. I took pictures and video of this same bird last spring in WNC.

[@Alan-gi2ku]

Oh BS.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

If you have photos please send them to me! [e-mail]

[@jrnfw4060]

@@Alan-gi2ku And you know, HOW, that it's "BS"? Have you irrefutable proof of that?

[@johnwright291]

What is way more interesting than the ivory bill is the tasmanian tiger.

[@Edwarddiaz21]

Do you live in Tasmania?

[@johnwright291]

@@Edwarddiaz21 no but I would love to live there. Most of the legal opium in the world is grown there. I've never been there but it looks like a very beautiful place.

[@Edwarddiaz21]

@@johnwright291 I wouldn't know anything about opium growing there. I don't drink or do drugs. I hate that the tasi tiger is gone from the world also, as I'm native american. However, I hate more that the wildlife of the America's are going extinct, especially in USA, my homeland. The ivory bill isn't the only species of bird to go extinct in USA. The passenger pigeon was wild colored, and the Carolina parrot are here no more, not for any of the current generation to see. The Carolina parrokeet was actually a parrot. It was green, greenish blue, blue, purple, orange, red. Those are the color shades it had, but the main color was green, orange, yellow, red. It stood almost 8-9 in tall and about 11 in long, wingspan about 1ft to a little over. I wish I could see these animals, as my ancestors did, but I can't, and it's not do to my people, but by others.

[@johnwright291]

@@Edwarddiaz21 my comment about opium in tasmania was said tongue in cheek. You might be interested to hear that I first read about the carolina parrot in my 1898 encyclopedias. Even way back then they said that it would be extinct soon if it wasn't already. Also to my surprise they say in those 125 year old encyclopedias that the wiping out of the buffalo was a crime. They were very near extinction by then. The article explains how they were slaughtered by marksmen riding on trains who had rented the guns from the railroad for that purpose. It even goes so far as to say that the motive was to deprive the Indians of sustenance.

[@Edwarddiaz21]

@@johnwright291 yes, the story of wiping out the 🐃 is true. It's so my western relatives wouldn't have food or shelter, clothing. That's when the government started feeding them rotten meat and infecting them with blankets intentionally infected with the smallpox virus. In the east of the Mississippi the Eastern woodland Buffalo had already become a thing of the past. The Canadian woodland 🐃 is supposed the same species, just a more northerly placed. The Eastern elk are back, I'd love to have the woodland Buffalo returned to the mntns and foothills of Eastern America, especially along the southern appallachian mntns. I'm descendants of the Touscarora or Tous people of the southeastern plains of the N.C and Northern S. Carolina. We were a warrior people, we controlled the southern US in power. We are called by other names now, but we know our ancestral name. Maybe you've heard of my people. There's also a little Cherokee, supposedly.

[@slechtajames53]

Sadly, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service had declared this beautiful bird extinct.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

It actually hasn’t. It proposed the declaration. There is currently a public comment period until the end of November.

[@sidstevens9035]

What difference would it make if they have ? It's either extinct or extant ! A declaration doesn't change that either way.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@sidstevens9035 correct, however it could impact forest management decision that could impact populations if the birds are still around.

[@ScallopHolden]

Haha he clunked 2x4’s together and got a response.. from someone one trail over with 2x4’s they both proved ivory bills exist today

[@DooleyBFR]

I can show you live ivory bills!! They are alive! Search Whitewood, Virginia!!! Its the land time forgot!!!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Send me a pic! [e-mail]

[@DooleyBFR]

@@BadgerlandBirding I will! I didnt know they were extinct! Dad always said not to shoot em cause thayre endangered. Its not hard to find here. Here in the mntns were they tend to be around John Flannagan Dam. We have an abundunce of beech trees which are the best for den trees. Their the biggest of all woodpeckers. You do say omg when you see it cause its so big!! Dont worry I will get proof this spring unless I see 1 before then. You can hear em anytime tho!

[@DooleyBFR]

Our water shed dumps into the mississippi river. It it totally logical that it came upstream!! I just know they are here! Come see for your self! John Flannagan dam, The breaks interstate park or Whitewood Va up around patterson swamps!! Its Alive

[@DooleyBFR]

When that thang pecks a tree it sounds like somebody building a house! And its sounds can be heard anytime here!

[@otteottema6839]

People seem to believe that as long as they keep looking for It, it can't become extinct

[@dogtoddy]

It can't become extinct if it's already extinct.

[@patrickgilfillan4631]

It's Woody

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Haha, it's believed the "Woody the Woodpecker" cartoon was based on a Pileated or Acorn Woodpecker.

[@jrnfw4060]

@@BadgerlandBirding I don't think Acorn Woodpeckers have crests. Woody Woodpecker was based either on the Pileated or the Ivory Bill, since the cartoon character has a very large, overly exaggerated bright red crest. The sound Woody makes more closely resembles that of a Pileated.

[@SeanRhoadesChristopher]

Because people are so destructive and ignorant, I will tell no one if I see an ivory bill.

[@snowyowl5556]

That's a bit odd...

[@BadgerlandBirding]

I'm sure many other people feel the same way. I know hunters actually have a lot incentives not to report sightings because they don't want their land to be taken away.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Not that that's what I think would happen.

[@SeanRhoadesChristopher]

@@BadgerlandBirding my incentive is to protect the bird, for the same reason the locations of some of the oldest trees in the world aren’t advertised. The Senator was the biggest and oldest bald cypress, burned down by a drug user.

[@Alan-gi2ku]

Don’t wrestle with your conscious too much ‘cause they are extinct.

[@cabinbluff]

Harvested?

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Killed :( Either for feathers or food

[@scrubjay93]

Based on the comments, it's obvious the ivorybills have modified their habitat use and are now commonly found in peoples' backyards.

[@andylane247]

It would be amazing if they still exist, but there is zero evidence so far. Zero.

[@jrnfw4060]

Also, zero evidence that they don't still exist. Is it even possible to prove a negative?

[@andylane247]

@@jrnfw4060 Zero evidence that there's no Unicorns...

[@paulg444]

a universal feature of human nature, what a human has an deep emotional desire to see... that is what he will see.

[@jrnfw4060]

I have been fascinated by birds since childhood, and I also reserve hope for the Ivory-Billed, because the definite, beyond all doubt extinction of these birds HASN'T been proven.

[@repomanzilla]

I am 100percent I have seen this bird in Tennessee in the coffee county area. No joke no bs.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Pics?

[@repomanzilla]

@@BadgerlandBirding no no. I mean I have zero proof it's just I know I have seen that bird. It was when I was a teenager while hunting with my grandfather near the base and we saw it and we both said wow that's a weird looking bird. I mean it's seared I to my memory. As soon as that Pic of the bird showed up on my Google interests I was immediately reminded of it, I even outloud said that bird?

[@waynekarau3184]

People see and hear what they want to.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Sometimes, however there have been sightings from people who weren’t looking and reported what they saw, and it fit the description.

[@waynekarau3184]

@@BadgerlandBirding After all of these years (since the 1930s), no irrefutable video evidence and witnesses to corroborate these alleged sightings.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@waynekarau3184 there have been credible witnesses who had sightings, (Geoff Hill of Auburn, the Cornell team) who also have call recordings, which is the most interesting aspect to me. Species such as the Night Parrot in Australia eluded the public for about 140 years before their rediscovery. It’s hard to say what’s still out there. www.nytimes.com/2022/01/04/science/night-parrot-ghost-bird-australia.html

[@waynekarau3184]

@@BadgerlandBirding The only possible hope I can give you is that the Cuban Ivory-billed Woodpecker subspecies was last confirmed in 1987 and some of the intact habitat in the higher elevations of the bird's range there may still harbor a few. But it's conceded that those Ivory-bills are probably lost as well.

[@dogtoddy]

@@BadgerlandBirdingunlike the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, the Night Parrot is nocturnal.

[@Derekmartin20]

Lol let's prove they exist by killing it and bringing it back .

[@nobodynobody6546]

It's actually amazing there is still any species left!....We humans are the only species to ever exist on Mother Earth 🌎...That has destroyed It's own environment !....

[@xxpowwowbluexx]

Use your smartphone camera. Come on.

[@Chasstful]

There are some factual errors here. First, the 2005 Lunard video has been proven to show a Pileated Woodpecker, its not in doubt among video experts. SIbley's observations are really on the mark. He points out that if any substantial population of IVWP existed, there would be evidence in the form of extensive areas old dead trees with massive amounts of striped bark. He and others have found none of this evidence in areas where these "sightings" came from. Sibley also noted that areas of massive areas of unmapped old growth forests don't really exist anymore. When Sibley went deep into the most dense old growth tracts, he was constantly running into hunters and fishermen.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Well for one, there are some errors in your comment. Firstly, it is the Luneau video, not Lunard. Secondly, The Luneau video is contested by experts with opinions on both sides. Geoff Hill of Auburn, Fitzpatrick et al. claim it is of an Ivory-billed so it’s definitely not that there is “no doubt” among experts. Additionally, IBWOs are thought to be nomadic, moving to follow their food sources in dead trees, which would make sense why sightings occur and then are not seen again immediately in a specific area. Also I don’t think anybody believes there is a “substantial” population left. Also I don’t believe Sibley ever went searching himself. If he did, send me an article about his searches.

[@Chasstful]

@@BadgerlandBirding Have you seen the documentary Ghost Bird? They basically show the evidence that the Luneau video is indeed of a PIWP, the white patches on under of the wing are far too broad to be IVWP. They also make the point that the Luneau video was not properly vetted (before publication) by top experts in visual identification like SIbley and others, including Tanner's elderly wife who had seen the 1930s Singer tract birds. Its suspicious that the folks at Cornell lab of ornithology have back tracked on their initial belief that the Luneau video was good. They got major egg of their faces and its become a subject nobody at Cornell will even speak about. So, if the Luneau video isn't solid, what do you have left? Hundreds of unverified sight records. We hear the argument that IVWP are so secretive and nomadic, but how were they so easily found in the 1800s? Before modern optics existed and before birdwatching really existed. The giant elephant in the room is the fact that the species hasn't been documented since the 1930s despite all the technologic advances in optics and photography, not to mention a 1000 fold increase in the numbers of birders. I won't even get into the biologic improbabilities that a viable, productive population could still exist in the 21st century. As an evolutionary biologist, THIS was the reason I doubted it all back in 2004

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@Chasstful The birds were easily found in the 1800s because they had a large population that was then decimated by hunters and collectors. Habitat loss also played a small role. And yes, the number of birders have increased with time, but I doubt the number of people searching the Bottomland Hardwood forests has. It's not a great area to be in with oppressive heat, bugs, venomous snakes, gators, and wet ground. I've read Sibley's comments on the Luneau video and I think his claims are about the same as Fitzpatrick's. It's one person's interpretation verses another. I think the best chance to see if the birds still exists are with new technological advances, and I think the most interesting evidence so far are the call recordings that multiple teams have produced, along with their sightings.

[@Chasstful]

@@BadgerlandBirding Habitat loss played a small role?? wow. DO you have a citation to that effect? Most of what I heard and read on the subject is that habitat destruction is the main factor for extinction. The great primordial swaps and forests of the lower Mississippi basin were cleared and drained in the 19th century. What remains today is isolated remnants of what was, this also caused the extinction of the Bachman's warbler and to a degree the Passenger pigeon and Cariolina parakeet. Have you read about the history of the Singer tract? They were pulling huge, huge trees out of there in the 1940s, trees that size no longer exist. Tanner's expedition of the 1930s looked all over the South for suitable areas for study, and the only promising one was the Singer tract. Its believed that IVWP's had enormous home ranges, meaning it would take a huge area with huge trees to feed a breading population. This "habitat argument" is really just nonsense, but I suppose you need to believe it to believe the true believers. If you want a well rounded information on this subject, its out there, but buying what this guy is selling will get you nowhere. I've been a field ornithologist for almost 40 years and have sat on RBCs. I've met many Southern birders over the years and many of them claim sightings. If you question them, its fighting words, its a point of pride for them, so yeah, a lot of confirmation bias. You seem like a bright young guy. don't listen to me, go out and do your own research.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@Chasstful It's known as the 2nd Great American Extinction Event. It was a time of slaughter for a lot of animals. That's why there are 413 Ivory-billed Woodpecker specimens in museums. Habitat loss and logging was also a factor, but shooting and collecting played a larger role in my opinion. medium.com/wild-without-end/the-second-great-american-extinction-event-1600s-to-1900s-d6e07985116e

[@jdgoodwin3136]

Bigfoot and the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. At least the Ivory-billed Woodpecker existed at one time.

[@chrisdulakis9833]

They are not extinct I saw one

[@KRIS-jj9on]

It's not extinct. I could show you where to find a pair. All I'm going g to say is Rhode Island. Not going to tell you anything else . You want to see find me. ✌

[@rayntheenternal3248]

It is alr proven it is not extinct

[@donmiles5080]

I'm not saying they aren't out there but none of the "evidence" that I've seen to date actually proves they are out there. All the latest photos and videos show nothing but a blurry bird that could be anything. With all the superb professional wildlife photographers and videographers around today why can't even a single one of them produce a good quality video? It's amazing the detailed and almost impossible videos they make today of all kinds of animals but they can't get even a short clear video of this bird. It's becoming a joke, like hunting for bigfoot or Elvis. Y'all say this bird exists? Then get you some real film cameras and your camping gear and go out in swamp and live with the gators and snakes for a few months like a real wildlife photographer and bring in some real videos instead of this blurry garbage you are getting with some silly smart phone.

[@FoxDashO23]

The other problem is that CGI is also getting better. Make a model take a bad video and animate it flying around

[@gohlervideos6470]

I'm sorry, i don't believe a word i heard on this video.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

That's up to you! Thanks for watching.

[@Alan-gi2ku]

I agree.

[@Alan-gi2ku]

Self promotion and bulls… It’s gone.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Lol. Thanks for watching.

[@rayorichard8175]

Hey Alan, how many of those muzzles do you have on in your pic - 3? 4? .... you believe that they actually stop viruses or flu even when the cdc and research studies say they don't yet you keep trying to convince everyone here that the IBWP is gone ? lol, thanks but no thanks.

[@jrnfw4060]

Proof that it's gone???

[@Oenloveslife]

Those 2017 recordings you made are not at all convincing to me. That "Kent" sound sounds very different from the 1935 call. Plenty of Titmice though : )