‘Extinct’ Bird Makes Its Existence Heard

Researchers who last month questioned the existence of the ivory-billed woodpecker, saying blurry videotape of a bird in flight wasn’t enough evidence, have changed their minds after hearing recordings from the wild.

The doubters had prepared an article for a scientific journal questioning whether the bird, which had been thought extinct, had really been found in an Arkansas swamp. They now plan to withdraw the article.

“We were very skeptical of the first published reports,” Yale University ornithologist Richard Prum said in a statement. “But the thrilling new sound recordings provide clear and convincing evidence that the ivory-billed woodpecker is not extinct.”