Scientists believe that we are in the middle of the sixth mass extinction event in the history of the world. So when an animal thought to have disappeared, reappears in the wild it’s a great cause for celebration.
In an incredibly positive sighting, researchers from the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, have captured images of an ivory-billed woodpecker — called an “iconic species” — on motion-activated trail cameras they placed in Louisiana.
Its last undisputed sighting came all the way back in 1944 according to reports. Till now, the US Fish and Wildlife Service was on the brink of declaring the bird extinct.
The researchers used drones to scan the treetops for the bird, something that reportedly returned multiple photos of them.
“You have very scarce birds that tend to be very high up in the canopy in dense forests and they’re very hard to document, and that is a great achievement that we’ve been able to get the imagery,” said co-author of the study, Mark Michaels.
The ivory-billed woodpecker is not out of the proverbial woods just yet, with shrinking habitat and small populations. But the sighting shows some hope for its species.
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Beacon Food Forest. This is one of the largest food forests in the country. Find out more and support them here.
Cultural Survival. They are an indigenous-led nonprofit focused on empowering indigenous Americans and helping the planet. Find out more.
This article aligns with the UN SDG Life on Land.
