Head to head
Ivory-billed Woodpecker vs Imperial Woodpecker
The ivory-billed woodpecker and imperial woodpecker were the two largest members of their genus, both driven toward extinction by the same underlying cause on different sides of the same continent.
| Ivory-billed Woodpecker | Imperial Woodpecker | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Campephilus principalis | Campephilus imperialis |
| Status | Critically Endangered, possibly extinct | Extinct |
| Native range | Southeastern US, Cuba | Mountain forests of Mexico |
| Relative size | One of the largest woodpeckers | The largest woodpecker that ever existed |
| Last credible reports | 1940s | Mid-twentieth century |
| Cause of decline | Old-growth logging | Old-growth logging |
| Habitat | Old-growth swamp forest | High-altitude pine forest |
| Nickname | Lord God bird | None comparable |
Ivory-billed Woodpecker vs Imperial Woodpecker: common questions
Which was bigger, the ivory-billed woodpecker or the imperial woodpecker?
The imperial woodpecker was bigger, holding the record as the largest woodpecker species that ever existed, exceeding even the ivory-billed woodpecker, itself one of the largest woodpeckers in the world.
Are both the ivory-billed woodpecker and imperial woodpecker extinct?
The imperial woodpecker is confirmed extinct, while the ivory-billed woodpecker is officially classified as Critically Endangered and considered possibly extinct, since no sighting has been scientifically confirmed since the 1940s.
Why did both species decline for the same reason?
Both species depended on old-growth forest containing large numbers of recently dead trees for feeding, a habitat that extensive logging eliminated across their respective ranges in the southeastern United States, Cuba, and Mexico.