Systematics

Originally described by Carolus Linnaeus (1758) based on “The Largest White-billed Woodpecker . . . Picus maximus rostro albo ” of Catesby (1731). The genus Campephilus was erected by Gray (1840), with “ Picus principalis Linnaeus” designated as the type for the genus.

I have examined 204 specimens of adult Ivory-billed Woodpeckers that have locality data (though sometimes simply “Florida” or “Georgia”). Of these, 155 are from Florida. There are far too few specimens to say much about geographic variation in the species —except that the species seems to follow the classical pattern of larger birds occurring in cooler, more northern areas, with smaller birds in warmer, more southern areas. Measurements of 34 adult specimens I examined with no data all fell well within the ranges of measurements for specimens with data. Although sample sizes are small, those specimens from more northern areas in Arkansas, Missouri, and S. Carolina averaged longer wings, and hence probably body size, than those from Florida. See Subspecies and Measurements, below; also see Appendix .

Two subspecies recognized (Peters 1948, Am. Ornithol. Union 1957). Although formerly treated as separate species, these appear to be weakly differentiated, allopatric subspecies (Mayr and Short 1970).

C. p. principalis (Linnaeus, 1758); type locality restricted to S. Carolina. Entire range of species in se. U.S.

C. p. bairdii (Cassin, 1863); type locality Cuba. Range restricted to island of Cuba. Characters given to diagnose this race by Ridgway (1914) included smaller size (wing 236–255 mm and culmen 58–61 mm vs. wing 240–263 mm and culmen 61–72.5), white stripe on side of head extending anteriorly nearly to rictus, and nasal tufts smaller. In his original description of C. p. bairdii, Cassin (1863) described birds from Cuba as being much like U.S. birds, but smaller, having black feathers at front of crest longer than scarlet feathers just behind them, and in having white line of neck extending almost to bill. In C. p. principalis, scarlet feathers of crest said to be longer than black feathers just in front of them, and the white line extending up each side of neck to end farther back from bill (usually beneath middle of eye). While Cuban Ivory-billed averages smaller than U.S. specimens in bill dimensions, it overlaps Florida specimens greatly in wing, tail, and tarsal measurements (Short 1982) and there is considerable variation among and overlap between Cuban and Florida specimens in plumage characteristics (Cory 1886, Short 1982); see also Appendix .

Thought closely related, and certainly most similar in appearance, to Imperial Woodpecker; the 2 species sometimes regarded as forming a superspecies (Mayr and Short 1970, Short 1982, Short and Horne 1990). Genus Campephilus currently comprises 11 species (Winkler and Christie 2002).