Knock-Knock Recordings May Be Echoes of Ivory-Bill Woodpecker
Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The distinctive double-rap sound characteristic of ivory-billed woodpeckers, once believed extinct by scientists, can be heard on the Web today, as further evidence the rare bird is alive and well in Arkansas forests.
The ivory-bill, the world's third-largest woodpecker, has a 30-inch wingspan, a jet-black body and large white wing patches. The recordings of tapping and a ``toot' call like a tin horn are similar to sounds made by the rare woodpecker, researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said in a statement today.
``It's like the bird came out of the woods to tell us, you're doing a good job,' said Scott Simon, director of the Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, in a telephone interview today. ``It validates 20 years of conservation work.'
Once known as the ``Lord God' bird for the exclamation provoked by its dramatic appearance, the ivory-bill was believed extinct until an announcement in April that a team had documented its presence in Arkansas wildlife refuges. One hundred double- knock sounds were identified after 18,000 hours of recordings were analyzed, researchers told the American Ornithologists Union in Santa Barbara, California, today.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu . A 1935 recording on a film soundtrack is being used for comparison.
Search for Evidence
A team led by Cornell Lab, which is part of Cornell University and relies on grants and donations; the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit group that purchases land and helps preserve habitats; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and other partners will resume the search for more evidence of the rare bird on Nov. 1.
``The woods are really quite beautiful that time of year,' Simon said.
The Big Woods Conservation partnership is managing the search for the rare woodpecker, while federal agencies lead the endangered species recovery team, known locally as the Corridor of Hope, Simon said. The corridor refers to a 41,000-acre parcel of land that connects Arkansas's White River and the Cache River national wildlife refuges.
``These sounds give us additional hope that a few ivory- billed woodpeckers do live in the White River and Cache River region,' John Weaver Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab in Ithaca, New York, said in a statement. ``But this species is still on the verge of extinction and huge mysteries remain to be solved.'
To contact the reporter on this story:
Theresa Barry in Washington at [email protected].
Last Updated: August 24, 2005 13:30 EDT
Knock-Knock Recordings May Be Echoes of Ivory-Bill Woodpecker
Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The distinctive double-rap sound characteristic of ivory-billed woodpeckers, once believed extinct by scientists, can be heard on the Web today, as further evidence the rare bird is alive and well in Arkansas forests.
The ivory-bill, the world's third-largest woodpecker, has a 30-inch wingspan, a jet-black body and large white wing patches. The recordings of tapping and a ``toot' call like a tin horn are similar to sounds made by the rare woodpecker, researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said in a statement today.
``It's like the bird came out of the woods to tell us, you're doing a good job,' said Scott Simon, director of the Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, in a telephone interview today. ``It validates 20 years of conservation work.'
Once known as the ``Lord God' bird for the exclamation provoked by its dramatic appearance, the ivory-bill was believed extinct until an announcement in April that a team had documented its presence in Arkansas wildlife refuges. One hundred double- knock sounds were identified after 18,000 hours of recordings were analyzed, researchers told the American Ornithologists Union in Santa Barbara, California, today.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu . A 1935 recording on a film soundtrack is being used for comparison.
Search for Evidence
A team led by Cornell Lab, which is part of Cornell University and relies on grants and donations; the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit group that purchases land and helps preserve habitats; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and other partners will resume the search for more evidence of the rare bird on Nov. 1.
``The woods are really quite beautiful that time of year,' Simon said.
The Big Woods Conservation partnership is managing the search for the rare woodpecker, while federal agencies lead the endangered species recovery team, known locally as the Corridor of Hope, Simon said. The corridor refers to a 41,000-acre parcel of land that connects Arkansas's White River and the Cache River national wildlife refuges.
``These sounds give us additional hope that a few ivory- billed woodpeckers do live in the White River and Cache River region,' John Weaver Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab in Ithaca, New York, said in a statement. ``But this species is still on the verge of extinction and huge mysteries remain to be solved.'
To contact the reporter on this story:
Theresa Barry in Washington at [email protected].
Last Updated: August 24, 2005 13:30 EDT
Knock-Knock Recordings May Be Echoes of Ivory-Bill Woodpecker
Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The distinctive double-rap sound characteristic of ivory-billed woodpeckers, once believed extinct by scientists, can be heard on the Web today, as further evidence the rare bird is alive and well in Arkansas forests.
The ivory-bill, the world's third-largest woodpecker, has a 30-inch wingspan, a jet-black body and large white wing patches. The recordings of tapping and a ``toot' call like a tin horn are similar to sounds made by the rare woodpecker, researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said in a statement today.
``It's like the bird came out of the woods to tell us, you're doing a good job,' said Scott Simon, director of the Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, in a telephone interview today. ``It validates 20 years of conservation work.'
Once known as the ``Lord God' bird for the exclamation provoked by its dramatic appearance, the ivory-bill was believed extinct until an announcement in April that a team had documented its presence in Arkansas wildlife refuges. One hundred double- knock sounds were identified after 18,000 hours of recordings were analyzed, researchers told the American Ornithologists Union in Santa Barbara, California, today.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu . A 1935 recording on a film soundtrack is being used for comparison.
Search for Evidence
A team led by Cornell Lab, which is part of Cornell University and relies on grants and donations; the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit group that purchases land and helps preserve habitats; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and other partners will resume the search for more evidence of the rare bird on Nov. 1.
``The woods are really quite beautiful that time of year,' Simon said.
The Big Woods Conservation partnership is managing the search for the rare woodpecker, while federal agencies lead the endangered species recovery team, known locally as the Corridor of Hope, Simon said. The corridor refers to a 41,000-acre parcel of land that connects Arkansas's White River and the Cache River national wildlife refuges.
``These sounds give us additional hope that a few ivory- billed woodpeckers do live in the White River and Cache River region,' John Weaver Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab in Ithaca, New York, said in a statement. ``But this species is still on the verge of extinction and huge mysteries remain to be solved.'
To contact the reporter on this story:
Theresa Barry in Washington at [email protected].
Last Updated: August 24, 2005 13:30 EDT
Knock-Knock Recordings May Be Echoes of Ivory-Bill Woodpecker
Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The distinctive double-rap sound characteristic of ivory-billed woodpeckers, once believed extinct by scientists, can be heard on the Web today, as further evidence the rare bird is alive and well in Arkansas forests.
The ivory-bill, the world's third-largest woodpecker, has a 30-inch wingspan, a jet-black body and large white wing patches. The recordings of tapping and a ``toot' call like a tin horn are similar to sounds made by the rare woodpecker, researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said in a statement today.
``It's like the bird came out of the woods to tell us, you're doing a good job,' said Scott Simon, director of the Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, in a telephone interview today. ``It validates 20 years of conservation work.'
Once known as the ``Lord God' bird for the exclamation provoked by its dramatic appearance, the ivory-bill was believed extinct until an announcement in April that a team had documented its presence in Arkansas wildlife refuges. One hundred double- knock sounds were identified after 18,000 hours of recordings were analyzed, researchers told the American Ornithologists Union in Santa Barbara, California, today.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu . A 1935 recording on a film soundtrack is being used for comparison.
Search for Evidence
A team led by Cornell Lab, which is part of Cornell University and relies on grants and donations; the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit group that purchases land and helps preserve habitats; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and other partners will resume the search for more evidence of the rare bird on Nov. 1.
``The woods are really quite beautiful that time of year,' Simon said.
The Big Woods Conservation partnership is managing the search for the rare woodpecker, while federal agencies lead the endangered species recovery team, known locally as the Corridor of Hope, Simon said. The corridor refers to a 41,000-acre parcel of land that connects Arkansas's White River and the Cache River national wildlife refuges.
``These sounds give us additional hope that a few ivory- billed woodpeckers do live in the White River and Cache River region,' John Weaver Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab in Ithaca, New York, said in a statement. ``But this species is still on the verge of extinction and huge mysteries remain to be solved.'
To contact the reporter on this story:
Theresa Barry in Washington at [email protected].
Last Updated: August 24, 2005 13:30 EDT
Knock-Knock Recordings May Be Echoes of Ivory-Bill Woodpecker
Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The distinctive double-rap sound characteristic of ivory-billed woodpeckers, once believed extinct by scientists, can be heard on the Web today, as further evidence the rare bird is alive and well in Arkansas forests.
The ivory-bill, the world's third-largest woodpecker, has a 30-inch wingspan, a jet-black body and large white wing patches. The recordings of tapping and a ``toot' call like a tin horn are similar to sounds made by the rare woodpecker, researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said in a statement today.
``It's like the bird came out of the woods to tell us, you're doing a good job,' said Scott Simon, director of the Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, in a telephone interview today. ``It validates 20 years of conservation work.'
Once known as the ``Lord God' bird for the exclamation provoked by its dramatic appearance, the ivory-bill was believed extinct until an announcement in April that a team had documented its presence in Arkansas wildlife refuges. One hundred double- knock sounds were identified after 18,000 hours of recordings were analyzed, researchers told the American Ornithologists Union in Santa Barbara, California, today.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu . A 1935 recording on a film soundtrack is being used for comparison.
Search for Evidence
A team led by Cornell Lab, which is part of Cornell University and relies on grants and donations; the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit group that purchases land and helps preserve habitats; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and other partners will resume the search for more evidence of the rare bird on Nov. 1.
``The woods are really quite beautiful that time of year,' Simon said.
The Big Woods Conservation partnership is managing the search for the rare woodpecker, while federal agencies lead the endangered species recovery team, known locally as the Corridor of Hope, Simon said. The corridor refers to a 41,000-acre parcel of land that connects Arkansas's White River and the Cache River national wildlife refuges.
``These sounds give us additional hope that a few ivory- billed woodpeckers do live in the White River and Cache River region,' John Weaver Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab in Ithaca, New York, said in a statement. ``But this species is still on the verge of extinction and huge mysteries remain to be solved.'
To contact the reporter on this story:
Theresa Barry in Washington at [email protected].
Last Updated: August 24, 2005 13:30 EDT
Knock-Knock Recordings May Be Echoes of Ivory-Bill Woodpecker
Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The distinctive double-rap sound characteristic of ivory-billed woodpeckers, once believed extinct by scientists, can be heard on the Web today, as further evidence the rare bird is alive and well in Arkansas forests.
The ivory-bill, the world's third-largest woodpecker, has a 30-inch wingspan, a jet-black body and large white wing patches. The recordings of tapping and a ``toot' call like a tin horn are similar to sounds made by the rare woodpecker, researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said in a statement today.
``It's like the bird came out of the woods to tell us, you're doing a good job,' said Scott Simon, director of the Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, in a telephone interview today. ``It validates 20 years of conservation work.'
Once known as the ``Lord God' bird for the exclamation provoked by its dramatic appearance, the ivory-bill was believed extinct until an announcement in April that a team had documented its presence in Arkansas wildlife refuges. One hundred double- knock sounds were identified after 18,000 hours of recordings were analyzed, researchers told the American Ornithologists Union in Santa Barbara, California, today.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu . A 1935 recording on a film soundtrack is being used for comparison.
Search for Evidence
A team led by Cornell Lab, which is part of Cornell University and relies on grants and donations; the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit group that purchases land and helps preserve habitats; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and other partners will resume the search for more evidence of the rare bird on Nov. 1.
``The woods are really quite beautiful that time of year,' Simon said.
The Big Woods Conservation partnership is managing the search for the rare woodpecker, while federal agencies lead the endangered species recovery team, known locally as the Corridor of Hope, Simon said. The corridor refers to a 41,000-acre parcel of land that connects Arkansas's White River and the Cache River national wildlife refuges.
``These sounds give us additional hope that a few ivory- billed woodpeckers do live in the White River and Cache River region,' John Weaver Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab in Ithaca, New York, said in a statement. ``But this species is still on the verge of extinction and huge mysteries remain to be solved.'
To contact the reporter on this story:
Theresa Barry in Washington at [email protected].
Last Updated: August 24, 2005 13:30 EDT
Knock-Knock Recordings May Be Echoes of Ivory-Bill Woodpecker
Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The distinctive double-rap sound characteristic of ivory-billed woodpeckers, once believed extinct by scientists, can be heard on the Web today, as further evidence the rare bird is alive and well in Arkansas forests.
The ivory-bill, the world's third-largest woodpecker, has a 30-inch wingspan, a jet-black body and large white wing patches. The recordings of tapping and a ``toot' call like a tin horn are similar to sounds made by the rare woodpecker, researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said in a statement today.
``It's like the bird came out of the woods to tell us, you're doing a good job,' said Scott Simon, director of the Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, in a telephone interview today. ``It validates 20 years of conservation work.'
Once known as the ``Lord God' bird for the exclamation provoked by its dramatic appearance, the ivory-bill was believed extinct until an announcement in April that a team had documented its presence in Arkansas wildlife refuges. One hundred double- knock sounds were identified after 18,000 hours of recordings were analyzed, researchers told the American Ornithologists Union in Santa Barbara, California, today.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu . A 1935 recording on a film soundtrack is being used for comparison.
Search for Evidence
A team led by Cornell Lab, which is part of Cornell University and relies on grants and donations; the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit group that purchases land and helps preserve habitats; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and other partners will resume the search for more evidence of the rare bird on Nov. 1.
``The woods are really quite beautiful that time of year,' Simon said.
The Big Woods Conservation partnership is managing the search for the rare woodpecker, while federal agencies lead the endangered species recovery team, known locally as the Corridor of Hope, Simon said. The corridor refers to a 41,000-acre parcel of land that connects Arkansas's White River and the Cache River national wildlife refuges.
``These sounds give us additional hope that a few ivory- billed woodpeckers do live in the White River and Cache River region,' John Weaver Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab in Ithaca, New York, said in a statement. ``But this species is still on the verge of extinction and huge mysteries remain to be solved.'
To contact the reporter on this story:
Theresa Barry in Washington at [email protected].
Last Updated: August 24, 2005 13:30 EDT
Knock-Knock Recordings May Be Echoes of Ivory-Bill Woodpecker
Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The distinctive double-rap sound characteristic of ivory-billed woodpeckers, once believed extinct by scientists, can be heard on the Web today, as further evidence the rare bird is alive and well in Arkansas forests.
The ivory-bill, the world's third-largest woodpecker, has a 30-inch wingspan, a jet-black body and large white wing patches. The recordings of tapping and a ``toot' call like a tin horn are similar to sounds made by the rare woodpecker, researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said in a statement today.
``It's like the bird came out of the woods to tell us, you're doing a good job,' said Scott Simon, director of the Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, in a telephone interview today. ``It validates 20 years of conservation work.'
Once known as the ``Lord God' bird for the exclamation provoked by its dramatic appearance, the ivory-bill was believed extinct until an announcement in April that a team had documented its presence in Arkansas wildlife refuges. One hundred double- knock sounds were identified after 18,000 hours of recordings were analyzed, researchers told the American Ornithologists Union in Santa Barbara, California, today.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu . A 1935 recording on a film soundtrack is being used for comparison.
Search for Evidence
A team led by Cornell Lab, which is part of Cornell University and relies on grants and donations; the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit group that purchases land and helps preserve habitats; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and other partners will resume the search for more evidence of the rare bird on Nov. 1.
``The woods are really quite beautiful that time of year,' Simon said.
The Big Woods Conservation partnership is managing the search for the rare woodpecker, while federal agencies lead the endangered species recovery team, known locally as the Corridor of Hope, Simon said. The corridor refers to a 41,000-acre parcel of land that connects Arkansas's White River and the Cache River national wildlife refuges.
``These sounds give us additional hope that a few ivory- billed woodpeckers do live in the White River and Cache River region,' John Weaver Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab in Ithaca, New York, said in a statement. ``But this species is still on the verge of extinction and huge mysteries remain to be solved.'
To contact the reporter on this story:
Theresa Barry in Washington at [email protected].
Last Updated: August 24, 2005 13:30 EDT
Knock-Knock Recordings May Be Echoes of Ivory-Bill Woodpecker
Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The distinctive double-rap sound characteristic of ivory-billed woodpeckers, once believed extinct by scientists, can be heard on the Web today, as further evidence the rare bird is alive and well in Arkansas forests.
The ivory-bill, the world's third-largest woodpecker, has a 30-inch wingspan, a jet-black body and large white wing patches. The recordings of tapping and a ``toot' call like a tin horn are similar to sounds made by the rare woodpecker, researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said in a statement today.
``It's like the bird came out of the woods to tell us, you're doing a good job,' said Scott Simon, director of the Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, in a telephone interview today. ``It validates 20 years of conservation work.'
Once known as the ``Lord God' bird for the exclamation provoked by its dramatic appearance, the ivory-bill was believed extinct until an announcement in April that a team had documented its presence in Arkansas wildlife refuges. One hundred double- knock sounds were identified after 18,000 hours of recordings were analyzed, researchers told the American Ornithologists Union in Santa Barbara, California, today.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu . A 1935 recording on a film soundtrack is being used for comparison.
Search for Evidence
A team led by Cornell Lab, which is part of Cornell University and relies on grants and donations; the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit group that purchases land and helps preserve habitats; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and other partners will resume the search for more evidence of the rare bird on Nov. 1.
``The woods are really quite beautiful that time of year,' Simon said.
The Big Woods Conservation partnership is managing the search for the rare woodpecker, while federal agencies lead the endangered species recovery team, known locally as the Corridor of Hope, Simon said. The corridor refers to a 41,000-acre parcel of land that connects Arkansas's White River and the Cache River national wildlife refuges.
``These sounds give us additional hope that a few ivory- billed woodpeckers do live in the White River and Cache River region,' John Weaver Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab in Ithaca, New York, said in a statement. ``But this species is still on the verge of extinction and huge mysteries remain to be solved.'
To contact the reporter on this story:
Theresa Barry in Washington at [email protected].
Last Updated: August 24, 2005 13:30 EDT
Knock-Knock Recordings May Be Echoes of Ivory-Bill Woodpecker
Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The distinctive double-rap sound characteristic of ivory-billed woodpeckers, once believed extinct by scientists, can be heard on the Web today, as further evidence the rare bird is alive and well in Arkansas forests.
The ivory-bill, the world's third-largest woodpecker, has a 30-inch wingspan, a jet-black body and large white wing patches. The recordings of tapping and a ``toot' call like a tin horn are similar to sounds made by the rare woodpecker, researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said in a statement today.
``It's like the bird came out of the woods to tell us, you're doing a good job,' said Scott Simon, director of the Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, in a telephone interview today. ``It validates 20 years of conservation work.'
Once known as the ``Lord God' bird for the exclamation provoked by its dramatic appearance, the ivory-bill was believed extinct until an announcement in April that a team had documented its presence in Arkansas wildlife refuges. One hundred double- knock sounds were identified after 18,000 hours of recordings were analyzed, researchers told the American Ornithologists Union in Santa Barbara, California, today.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu . A 1935 recording on a film soundtrack is being used for comparison.
Search for Evidence
A team led by Cornell Lab, which is part of Cornell University and relies on grants and donations; the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit group that purchases land and helps preserve habitats; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and other partners will resume the search for more evidence of the rare bird on Nov. 1.
``The woods are really quite beautiful that time of year,' Simon said.
The Big Woods Conservation partnership is managing the search for the rare woodpecker, while federal agencies lead the endangered species recovery team, known locally as the Corridor of Hope, Simon said. The corridor refers to a 41,000-acre parcel of land that connects Arkansas's White River and the Cache River national wildlife refuges.
``These sounds give us additional hope that a few ivory- billed woodpeckers do live in the White River and Cache River region,' John Weaver Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab in Ithaca, New York, said in a statement. ``But this species is still on the verge of extinction and huge mysteries remain to be solved.'
To contact the reporter on this story:
Theresa Barry in Washington at [email protected].
Last Updated: August 24, 2005 13:30 EDT
Knock-Knock Recordings May Be Echoes of Ivory-Bill Woodpecker
Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The distinctive double-rap sound characteristic of ivory-billed woodpeckers, once believed extinct by scientists, can be heard on the Web today, as further evidence the rare bird is alive and well in Arkansas forests.
The ivory-bill, the world's third-largest woodpecker, has a 30-inch wingspan, a jet-black body and large white wing patches. The recordings of tapping and a ``toot' call like a tin horn are similar to sounds made by the rare woodpecker, researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said in a statement today.
``It's like the bird came out of the woods to tell us, you're doing a good job,' said Scott Simon, director of the Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, in a telephone interview today. ``It validates 20 years of conservation work.'
Once known as the ``Lord God' bird for the exclamation provoked by its dramatic appearance, the ivory-bill was believed extinct until an announcement in April that a team had documented its presence in Arkansas wildlife refuges. One hundred double- knock sounds were identified after 18,000 hours of recordings were analyzed, researchers told the American Ornithologists Union in Santa Barbara, California, today.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu . A 1935 recording on a film soundtrack is being used for comparison.
Search for Evidence
A team led by Cornell Lab, which is part of Cornell University and relies on grants and donations; the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit group that purchases land and helps preserve habitats; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and other partners will resume the search for more evidence of the rare bird on Nov. 1.
``The woods are really quite beautiful that time of year,' Simon said.
The Big Woods Conservation partnership is managing the search for the rare woodpecker, while federal agencies lead the endangered species recovery team, known locally as the Corridor of Hope, Simon said. The corridor refers to a 41,000-acre parcel of land that connects Arkansas's White River and the Cache River national wildlife refuges.
``These sounds give us additional hope that a few ivory- billed woodpeckers do live in the White River and Cache River region,' John Weaver Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab in Ithaca, New York, said in a statement. ``But this species is still on the verge of extinction and huge mysteries remain to be solved.'
To contact the reporter on this story:
Theresa Barry in Washington at [email protected].
Last Updated: August 24, 2005 13:30 EDT
Knock-Knock Recordings May Be Echoes of Ivory-Bill Woodpecker
Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The distinctive double-rap sound characteristic of ivory-billed woodpeckers, once believed extinct by scientists, can be heard on the Web today, as further evidence the rare bird is alive and well in Arkansas forests.
The ivory-bill, the world's third-largest woodpecker, has a 30-inch wingspan, a jet-black body and large white wing patches. The recordings of tapping and a ``toot' call like a tin horn are similar to sounds made by the rare woodpecker, researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said in a statement today.
``It's like the bird came out of the woods to tell us, you're doing a good job,' said Scott Simon, director of the Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, in a telephone interview today. ``It validates 20 years of conservation work.'
Once known as the ``Lord God' bird for the exclamation provoked by its dramatic appearance, the ivory-bill was believed extinct until an announcement in April that a team had documented its presence in Arkansas wildlife refuges. One hundred double- knock sounds were identified after 18,000 hours of recordings were analyzed, researchers told the American Ornithologists Union in Santa Barbara, California, today.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu . A 1935 recording on a film soundtrack is being used for comparison.
Search for Evidence
A team led by Cornell Lab, which is part of Cornell University and relies on grants and donations; the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit group that purchases land and helps preserve habitats; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and other partners will resume the search for more evidence of the rare bird on Nov. 1.
``The woods are really quite beautiful that time of year,' Simon said.
The Big Woods Conservation partnership is managing the search for the rare woodpecker, while federal agencies lead the endangered species recovery team, known locally as the Corridor of Hope, Simon said. The corridor refers to a 41,000-acre parcel of land that connects Arkansas's White River and the Cache River national wildlife refuges.
``These sounds give us additional hope that a few ivory- billed woodpeckers do live in the White River and Cache River region,' John Weaver Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab in Ithaca, New York, said in a statement. ``But this species is still on the verge of extinction and huge mysteries remain to be solved.'
To contact the reporter on this story:
Theresa Barry in Washington at [email protected].
Last Updated: August 24, 2005 13:30 EDT
Knock-Knock Recordings May Be Echoes of Ivory-Bill Woodpecker
Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The distinctive double-rap sound characteristic of ivory-billed woodpeckers, once believed extinct by scientists, can be heard on the Web today, as further evidence the rare bird is alive and well in Arkansas forests.
The ivory-bill, the world's third-largest woodpecker, has a 30-inch wingspan, a...
