Center for Scientific Studies

Review of "The Race to Save the Lord God Bird"

by James A. Huggins, Ph.D., University Professor & Director of the Hammons Center for Scientific Studies

May 123, 2005 - Science tells us that as many as 90% of all creatures that have lived have gone the way of everlasting dust and several waves of extinction have plagued planet earth over the course of its existence. What makes this wave so different is that, beyond a shadow of doubt, a single species is the culprit. We have indeed found the enemy and he is us. There are other “races” that should have been run and many that will likely be necessary if we are to preserve the biodiversity our Creator has made provided us. The history of past efforts can and should be instructive to those who embark on the races of the day.

Phillip Hoose does a yeoman’s job of tracing for us what is known of one of America’s most celebrated birds. Across two hundred years he recounts from the writings and adventures of those early naturalists, historians, and biology professors that have shared time with the Ivory-billed woodpecker. The title of his book is a rather colorful name drawn from a larger contingent of names this bird had acquired over his existence with man. Hoose is shares from the lives of those who provided the data from which he draws. In fact he adds much to the story by chronicling portions of the lives of the human players in this story: George Beyers’ building the Tulane Museum of Natural History, John James Audubon’s moving from a shopkeeper and dance instructor to avian painter extraordinaire, British naturalist Mark Catesby’s description of the Ivory-billed woodpeckers use in Native American headdresses and the rather extensive geographic market among the tribes for the bills are but of few of the fascinating historical tidbits he provides the reader. Hoose treats us to the narration of the extinction of more that one bird. His overview of market hunting left me aghast. In particular, A. T. Wayne, a noted of his day, was credited as having almost single-handedly removed the entire population of Ivory-billed woodpeckers from the Suwannee River region of Florida and severely lowering populations of other now threatened, endangered or extinct species. All this is the name of building museum collections. But who is most to blame, he or his primary buyer benefactor William Brewster? This collector amassed many thousands of museum specimens for his personal collection (now at Louisiana State University). This is not to lessen of the value of the countless specimens the many naturalists of the day left to science. Today they are priceless, but proper restraint may have left the Carolina parakeet or the passenger pigeon for students and researchers to examine in the wild rather than the collect’s closet of a museum. While the truth may be depressing in some accounts, the labors of Frank Chapman, employed by the American Museum of Natural History, and his role in the plume wars was particularly inspiring. His efforts lead to the formation of several conservation societies in general and the Audubon Society in particular. The Christmas bird count he initiated so long ago continues today with over 1500 separate counts being staged simultaneously.

Hoose adds economics to his list of discussions as he seeks to help us understand the reasons that drove the Ivory-billed and other avian species to the point of extinction if not over the edge. Human overexploitation and the money to be made through the sale of the birds or their feathers certainly contributed to the wholesale slaughter of several species. A great deal of wealth was to be made by logging Southern forests and the South needed a boost in the economy. The Audubon Society races to procure habitat for the severely endangered bird but alas the last known animals of this species slip into oblivion. Still there is much to be learned from the record of this valiant effort to preserve one of God’s magnificent creatures. We must not make the same mistakes over and over again; too little of life’s diversity remains for these “everlasting” mistakes to be repetitious.

As early as 1785 British naturalist Thomas Pennant described the IBW as scarce. By the time that serious scientific study was began by Cornell biologist Dr. Authur Allen and doctoral student Jim Tanner the woodpecker was in real trouble. However a small family unit was discovered and, despite the Great Depression, photographs and audio recordings were made before the logging interests decimated the habitat of Tanner’s birds. Before their disappearance Tanner was able to document habitat loss as the major factor affecting this population. According to Tanner’s data a mated pair needed 36 times the home range as that of the Pileated woodpecker and 126 times that of the Red-headed woodpecker. The Ivory-billed was documented in Cuba in the 1980’s but habitat loss has perhaps taken out these animals just as it did those in Louisiana for there have no documented reports there since 1987. For those readers from Tennessee it might be interesting to note that Dr. Tanner the man who knew most about these magnificent birds was destined to spend the majority of his academic career at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

While I have dwelt upon the history of the “race to save this bird” and the factors preventing a speedy salvation, it should be noted, and appreciated by the student of biology, that a great deal of the natural history of the bird is also made available to the reader: monogamous pairs, two or three eggs in a clutch, size of home range, feeding habits, and life span. His account of Alexander Wilson’s (the American father of ornithology) captive bird having decimated a hotel room and reduced a mahogany table to wood chips is not only entertaining but instructive in that it demonstrates the sheer power of this bird. His somber description of the irreplaceable museum specimens examined at Louisiana State University leaves one grateful for the specimens but sorrowful that they no longer breathe the breath of life. Fabulous photographs bring his narrations to life and reinforce the power of his tales, explanations and arguments. Time and knowledge of our dwindling resources seem to have altered man’s propensity for greed and self-aggrandizement very little. As Christians we need t evaluate our personal stance on the subject of wildlife conservation and preservation. The Bible tells us that these things, speaking of the historical books of scripture, were written for our instruction. The rebuke for past mistakes provided by history should be instructive.

The last confirmed sighting of an Ivory-bill in the United States, by those who would know what they saw, was in 1944. That is, until this past year! The Ivory-billed woodpecker has once again been documented within the continental United States. Insert. We are guardedly optimistic about its survival as there have only been sightings to date of what may be a solitary male. I am thankful that the species still lives and prayerful that it will survive; that the vision of its flight will one day thrill and inspire future biologists. Thankfully, the race is still on to save the Ivory-billed woodpecker.

This book should inspire us to take, if necessary, gargantuan efforts to save the furred and feathered gifts which God has provided us. In my opinion, everyone that is interested in conservation, wildlife biology land environmental issues should read this book.