Imperial woodpecker

Common card · No. 222914

The imperial woodpecker (Campephilus imperialis) is a woodpecker species endemic to Mexico. Measuring approximately 56–60 cm (22–23.5 in) in length, it is the largest known woodpecker. Because of its close taxonomic relationship and resemblance to the ivory-billed woodpecker (C. principalis), it is sometimes referred to as the Mexican ivory-billed woodpecker. However, this name has also been applied to the extant pale-billed woodpecker (C. guatemalensis). The bird was well known to the Indigenous peoples of Mexico, who had several names for the species. It was called cuauhtotomomi in Nahuatl, uagam by the Tepehuán and cumecócari by the Tarahumara. There have been no confirmed sightings since 1956. The species is generally considered extinct, although the possibility that a small number of individuals survive in remote areas of its former range has not been completely ruled out.

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