Ivory-billed Woodpecker: Ghost of Southern Forests
North America’s largest woodpecker likely disappeared around the 1940s, though sporadic unconfirmed sightings kept hope alive until it was officially declared extinct in 2021. These magnificent birds required vast tracts of old-growth forest. Logging throughout the southeastern United States destroyed their habitat. Their preference for dead trees put them at odds with forestry practices. Occasional reported sightings create lingering hope that a few might survive.