# Ivory-billed Woodpecker (*Campephilus principalis*)

The ivory-billed woodpecker (*Campephilus principalis*) is a bird of the woodpecker family, Picidae, in the order Piciformes.

> The ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) was the largest woodpecker in the United States, a black-and-white bird with an ivory-coloured bill once found in old swamp forests of the south-eastern USA and Cuba. Logging and collecting drove it to the edge of extinction. BirdLife International lists it as Critically Endangered: claims of sightings since 2004 remain highly controversial, and if any survive, they number fewer than 50.

- **Category:** Bird
- **Conservation status (IUCN-style):** Critically Endangered
- **Range:** Formerly old-growth swamp forests of the south-eastern United States and forests of Cuba; possibly extinct.
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/ivory-billed-woodpecker/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Aves
- **Order:** Piciformes
- **Family:** Picidae
- **Genus:** Campephilus

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Campephilus principalis |
| Diet | Large wood-boring beetle larvae; also fruit and nuts |
| Former habitat | Large old-growth bottomland swamp forest and Cuban pine forest |
| Length | 48–53 cm |
| Weight | 450–570 g |
| Last confirmed records | USA: 1940s; Cuba: 1987 |
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2020) |

## Identification

Ivory-bills were glossy black with a large white patch on the trailing edge of the wing, white stripes running down the neck and a pale, ivory-coloured bill. Males had a red crest, females a black one. The similar pileated woodpecker is smaller, with a dark bill and mostly black wings when perched.

## A swamp-forest specialist

The species needed huge tracts of old forest with many dying trees, where it stripped bark to reach large beetle larvae. Pairs ranged over very large areas, so the clearance of bottomland forest in the late 1800s and early 1900s removed most of its habitat.

## The 1935 photographs

In 1935 a team from Cornell University led by Arthur A. Allen filmed and photographed nesting ivory-bills in Louisiana's Singer Tract. These remain among the only clear images of the living bird. The forest was logged in the 1940s.

## Possibly extinct

BirdLife International lists the species as Critically Endangered (2020). It notes that claims of birds persisting in the USA since 2004 are highly controversial, that there have been no confirmed Cuban records since 1987 despite many searches, and that any remaining population would be tiny, with 1 to 49 mature birds.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is the ivory-billed woodpecker extinct?

It may be. BirdLife International still lists it as Critically Endangered, but there is no undisputed evidence of a living bird since the 1940s in the USA or 1987 in Cuba.

### Why is it called the Lord God bird?

The nickname is said to come from people's reaction on seeing such a large, striking woodpecker.

### How can you tell an ivory-billed from a pileated woodpecker?

Ivory-bills were larger, with a pale bill and white trailing edges to the wings that showed as a white patch on the back when perched. Pileated woodpeckers have dark bills and look mostly black when perched.

### Where did ivory-billed woodpeckers live?

In old-growth swamp forests of the south-eastern United States and in forests of Cuba.

## Sources

- [BirdLife International (2026). Species factsheet: Ivory-billed Woodpecker Campephilus principalis. BirdLife DataZone. Checked 1 November 2026.](https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/ivory-billed-woodpecker-campephilus-principalis)
- [Animal Diversity Web: Campephilus principalis. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Campephilus_principalis/)
- Tobias, J. A. et al. (2022). AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. doi:10.1111/ele.13898
- [Gill, F., Donsker, D. & Rasmussen, P. (Eds). IOC World Bird List v15.2.](https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/)

## Help protect the Ivory-billed Woodpecker

The ivory-billed woodpecker is listed as Critically Endangered, with habitat loss the leading threat to its future.

[Donate to protect habitat](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/appeals/habitats/)

---
Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/ivory-billed-woodpecker/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.