Print PageFollowing the rediscovery of Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) in Arkansas, we initiated a search in South Carolina in February 2006, with additional searches in the winter and spring of 2006-2007 and 2007-2008, concentrating in the Congaree, Santee, and Pee Dee River basins. Search areas included areas of past and recent sightings. Our objectives were to determine whether a population of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers persists in South Carolina and, if so, to collect conclusive evidence of that population.
Results/Conclusions
We accrued a cumulative total of 8,893 survey hours. We found suggestive evidence in the form of visual and acoustic encounters, roost cavities, and foraging sign, but we failed to document conclusive evidence of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers. Based on our search results, we believe it is unlikely that a population of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers persists in Congaree National Park and found limited evidence for their presence on other public lands in South Carolina. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that a small, nomadic population persists in the state.
