Definition

Noun: A large, striking woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) native to the southeastern United States and Cuba, characterized by its distinctive black-and-white plumage and a pale, ivory-colored bill. The species is critically endangered and believed by many to be nearly or completely extinct.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • The reported sighting of an ivorybill in the Arkansas swamp generated great excitement among ornithologists.
  • Conservation efforts were intensified in hopes of saving the ivorybill from extinction.
  • Early naturalists wrote detailed descriptions of the ivorybill's powerful drumming on old-growth trees.

Advanced Usage

• "The Lord God Bird": A historical colloquial name for the ivorybill, stemming from its impressive size and striking appearance, which supposedly evoked exclamations like "Lord God, what a bird!"
  • The search for the "Lord God Bird," or ivorybill, continues to captivate birdwatchers.

Variants and Related Words

• Ivory-billed Woodpecker: The full, formal common name for the species.
  • The Ivory-billed Woodpecker was once a flagship species of the southern old-growth forests.

Synonyms

• Ivory-billed Woodpecker (formal name).
• Campephilus principalis (scientific name).

Related Phrases and Contexts

• Ghost bird: A modern metaphorical term sometimes used for the ivorybill due to its elusive and possibly extinct status.
  • For many, the ivorybill remains a ghost bird, a symbol of vanished wilderness.

Noun

1. large black-and-white woodpecker of southern United States and Cuba having an ivory bill; nearly extinct