Ivory-billed Woodpecker
CR

Ivory-billed Woodpecker

Campephilus principalis

Unknown

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory-billed_woodpecker

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker's decline stems primarily from extensive logging of old-growth bottomland hardwood forests throughout the southeastern United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The species requires large territories of mature forest with abundant dead and dying trees for foraging, habitat that was systematically cleared for agriculture and timber. Additional pressures included specimen collecting during the early 1900s when the species was already rare, and potential competition from Pileated Woodpeckers in degraded habitats.

Threat summary

Habitat

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker historically inhabited extensive old-growth bottomland hardwood forests and mature swamp forests of the southeastern United States and Cuba. These ecosystems featured large tracts of ancient bald cypress, tupelo, oak, and sweet gum trees with abundant dead wood for beetle larvae foraging.

Forest· majorWetlands (inland) - Bogs, marshes, swamps, fens· major

Conservation measures underway

Resource & habitat protectionSpecies managementSpecies recoveryAwareness & communications

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Frequently asked questions

Why is Ivory-billed Woodpecker classified as Critically Endangered?
Ivory-billed Woodpecker is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. The Ivory-billed Woodpecker's decline stems primarily from extensive logging of old-growth bottomland hardwood forests throughout the southeastern United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The species requires large territories of mature forest with abundant dead and dying trees for foraging, habitat that was systematically cleared for agriculture and timber. Additional pressures included specimen collecting during the early 1900s when the species was already rare, and potential competition from Pileated Woodpeckers in degraded habitats.
Where does Ivory-billed Woodpecker live?
Ivory-billed Woodpecker occurs in Cuba, and United States. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Ivory-billed Woodpecker?
The main threats to Ivory-billed Woodpecker are 2.1, 5.1, 5.3, and ai-1. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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