The ivory woodpecker was once the largest woodpecker in the United States.
But it’s been a long time since Americans caught a glimpse of the bird. The last reliable observation was made back in 1944. In 1976, the woodpecker was protected and placed on the endangered species list.
For decades, people have been searching for the bird. Intensive investigations began in the southeastern part of the United States and in Cuba. But the bird was not seen.
Today, US environmental authorities have declared the species extinct.
The main reason for the absence of the bird is the loss of forest areas in which it lived.
In 2005, intense investigations began after researchers thought they had spotted an ivory woodpecker in Arkansas. Today, the bird has been declared extinct.
Photo: Mike Wintroath / AP
Several species became extinct
But the woodpecker is not the only species declared extinct by environmental authorities on Wednesday.
List sent, comprising 23 species: 11 birds, a bat, two fish, a plant and eight shellfish.
Another bird species now gone is the singer Bachmann. In the 1950s, this was one of the rarest songbirds in North America. It was last observed in the United States in 1962 and in Cuba in 1981. The loss of habitat for birds is also the reason why they are now extinct.
Several specimens of the extinct Bachman’s songbird are in a drawer at a California research institute.
Photo: Haven Daley / AP
A loss for the whole world
Bridget Fahey works with the environmental authorities that created the list. she says The New York Times That species that have now disappeared is a permanent loss, not only to the country’s natural heritage, but also to the world’s natural diversity.
According to the press release issued by the authorities, climate change and the loss of nature are leading to more and more endangered species. So it’s time to put all your strength together for the effort to save US wildlife.
One million species are at risk of extinction
The news that 23 American species have become extinct is sad, but unfortunately not surprising, says Geir Barstein, senior communications advisor for the WWF’s World Wide Fund for Nature.
He says the world is in the midst of a man-made climate and nature crisis where species are becoming extinct to an extent not seen since the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.
It’s hard to stress enough how dangerous the situation we’re in, says Barstein.
Today, one million species are at risk of extinction, according to WWF Living Planet Report 2020.
If we fail to reverse the bleak trend and stop environmental damage such as deforestation, pollution, overfishing and climate change, we will face a very bleak future. If we lose nature, says Barstein, we lose the entire basis of life.
Norway is also not immune to this. according to species databases 21 percent of the species evaluated are on the so-called Red List. 2,355 of them are considered threatened.
“Explorer. Unapologetic entrepreneur. Alcohol fanatic. Certified writer. Wannabe tv evangelist. Twitter fanatic. Student. Web scholar. Travel buff.”
