The imperial woodpecker has not been recorded since the mid-20th century. Extensive habitat loss, as well as hunting for recreation, food and medicine, has hugely reduced population numbers, leading to its possible extinction (2).
Large-scale logging has destroyed much of the imperial woodpeckers habitat, and by 1996, the area of suitable breeding habitat had been reduced to just 22 square kilometres (2). Much of the Sierra Madre region is now used for growing illegal crops of opium poppies and marijuana, further contributing to the loss of the imperial woodpecker’s habitat (7).
Recent expeditions to this area have found that much of the habitat is now unsuitable for the imperial woodpecker. It is thought that if any remaining populations do exist, then they must be extremely small (4).