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Article in: Bird Conservation

Would You Like a Stuffed Ivory-bill?

We found an interesting article on Surfbird News about if the last Ivory-billed Woodpeckers should be collected for science – meaning killed and preserved as a specimen. The article brings up several points of why this should not be done. Here are two of them:

  1. Genetic Diversity – in a small population every individual matters in preserving genetic diversity
  2. Ecotourism – the areas where the birds are found can be draws to birders wishing to see the bird, bringing in loads of cash for habitat conservation of the area

Taking specimens is a thing of the past. Science now accepts new species without specimens so there really is no reason. Collectors hurt the Ivory-bills in the past by greedily trying to add to their “collections” instead of realizing how much more important it would have been to conserve their habitat.

ivory-billed.jpg
The only Ivory-billed Woodpeckers that should be stuffed

We feel that “collecting” an Ivory-bill would not only be wrong but bad for science (and birding too). We don’t know how many are left (if any), but it is important to remain positive and protect the best lands in which there is still hope.

2 Comments or Trackbacks   ↓ Jump to add comment ↓

  1. mon@rch says:

    Hard subject to come out and give an answer in what is better to do than another! I would feel better with them catching the bird, taking a feather sample, blood, etc.. from the bird and then letting it go! Their is a great deal that they could do with those samples and still keep it alive!! They could give the bird a mini transmitter that they could track better and learn so much more about the birds (and where they go)!

    Posted on: July 9, 2007 @ 8:25 pm

  2. The Birdfreak Team says:

    Monarch – catching and releasing would be a great idea, especially placing a transmitter on the bird. I wish that was possible with all birds caught and banded. It would be so much fun to monitor where birds go, not just in migration, but their everyday lives too.

    Posted on: July 10, 2007 @ 7:25 am

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