June 16, 2005
Cornell establishes special Web site to report possible ivory-billed woodpecker sightings
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Birdwatchers can now report possible sightings of the recently rediscovered ivory-billed woodpecker on a Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology Web site: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ivory/story17.htm.
Birders can also request a reporting form by calling the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at (800) 843-2473.
Reports will be compiled and reviewed by ornithologists at Cornell. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will assist Cornell in maintaining the Web site and database.
Bird researchers say that the pileated woodpecker is often mistaken for the elusive ivory-billed woodpecker, which is restricted to mature forests of the Southeast. The pileated woodpecker can be found in all areas formerly inhabited by the ivory-billed woodpecker.
The new Web site provides details on the key differences between the two birds.
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