Texas Fauna Project

Ivory-billed Woodpecker

See Full Interview Transcript

Cliff Shackelford is based in Nacogdoches, and served for many years as the state ornithologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife, focusing on protection of nongame birds. He is also an author of the guidebook, "Hummingbirds of Texas", and an active spokesperson for conservation on TV, radio and social media. He has closely studied the history of the ivory-billed woodpecker in the state, compiling an authoritative summary of records of the birds in the state. Here he talks about how the cutting and flooding of old-growth forests led to the likely extinction of the bird.