Endangered Woodpecker Located After 40-Year Search, Found in Birdwatcher's Backyard the Entire Time

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis), long considered functionally extinct and the subject of a $27 million multi-agency search effort spanning four decades, has been conclusively identified in the backyard of Dr. Franklin Audubon — the ornithologist who led the search. The bird was discovered by Dr. Audubon's 11-year-old granddaughter, Lily, who reportedly said, 'Grandpa, there's a really big woodpecker on that dead tree' during a family barbecue, prompting what Dr. Audubon later described as 'a complex emotional experience.' Dr. Audubon, who has spent the better part of his career organizing search expeditions through the bottomland hardwood forests of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Florida, confirmed the identification through extended observation from his kitchen window. 'It's unquestionably Campephilus principalis,' he said, his voice hollow. 'The white bill, the double knock, the distinctive flight pattern. It's right there. It's been right there. The dead oak is approximately forty feet from my study, where I spent three years writing a paper titled "Why the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker May Be Lost Forever."' Neighbors confirmed they had seen the bird 'on and off for years' but assumed it was 'just a big woodpecker.' 'Frank's always going on about some extinct bird,' said neighbor Tom Hedges. 'I mentioned the woodpecker once and he said, "Tom, you don't understand, Campephilus principalis hasn't been reliably sighted since 1944." So I stopped bringing it up.' The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has confirmed the sighting and announced it will establish a protected habitat zone centered on Dr. Audubon's backyard, which will require the removal of his barbecue grill and a trampoline.