September 26, 2006 Source: :
http://www.uwindsor.ca/units/pac/newsrel.nsf/f8e26b1a592c9edb8525676a0048614a/9eb45fa29921e315852571fd004e32b1!OpenDocument University of Windsor
researcher provides "sound evidence" of Ivory-Billed Woodpecker's
existence (WINDSOR,
ONTARIO, SEPTEMBER 26, 2006) – University of Windsor Biology professor Dan
Mennill and his team of researchers are part of an international group that
has just published evidence of the existence of the elusive Ivory-Billed
Woodpecker, a magnificent bird thought to have become extinct half a century
ago. Dr. Mennill, an expert in bioacoustic research, and his team worked
cooperatively with Auburn University Professor Geoff Hill on a 16-month
project collecting data suggesting the existence of the elusive woodpecker
in mature swamp forest along the Choctawhatchee River on the panhandle of
Florida. Ornithologists believed the world’s third largest woodpecker became extinct
as a result of habitat destruction. However, the new findings offer
compelling evidence that a population of the elusive Ivory-Billed still
exists. "Our research indicates that the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker still exists in
this particular region of the Florida panhandle. Our next challenge is to
collect definitive photographic evidence and expand our search to see how
wide-spread this population is," said Mennill. "The audio recordings that we
have analyzed in my sound analysis laboratory are one important component of
our findings, and bioacoustic monitoring will be a critically important tool
in locating and documenting woodpeckers in the coming year." The University of Windsor/Auburn University team recorded 14 sightings of
Ivory-Bills and identified more than 300 sounds matching historical
recordings and descriptions of the bird. As well, the group found 20 nesting
cavities in the appropriate size range for Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers, and
identified trees bearing the distinctive feeding marks of the long-sought
woodpecker. Their findings will appear in the new online journal, Avian
Conservation and Ecology - Écologie et Conservation des Oiseaux. Mennill’s bioacoustic research involved analyzing 11,400 hours of remotely
recorded swamp sounds collected from seven specially constructed listening
stations. The research team heard sounds that match descriptions of the
woodpecker’s acoustic signals on 41 occasions and recorded putative
double-knocks and calls unique to the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker. Populations of Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers were greatly diminished and isolated
by the cutting of swamp forests in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Many of the remaining birds were killed by collectors. The last known
woodpeckers disappeared from view in northeast Louisiana in 1944 when the
area’s virgin forest was logged. A separate population of the bird continued
to live in the mountains of Cuba until at least 1988, but was pronounced
extinct by the end of the last century. University of Windsor President Ross Paul said the exciting discovery
underscores the need for international research initiatives and he applauded
the unique skills Mennill and his team bring to the project. "We are delighted to learn of the evidence Dr. Mennill and his team have
gathered over the last year suggesting the highly probable existence of the
Ivory-Billed Woodpecker," Dr. Paul said. "I am confident Dr. Mennill’s
cutting-edge bioacoustic technology will be instrumental in helping the
research team gather photographic evidence of the woodpecker and will
encourage the conservation of wilderness for the preservation of wild
animals."
- 30- CONTACT: Lori Koutros
Manager, News Services
University of Windsor
(519) 973-7001 / Cell: (519) 564-9908
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