![]() ![]() Agent: Russell Galen, Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency. The imperial woodpecker - the largest woodpecker that ever lived - probably went extinct in the late 20th century in the high mountains of Mexico, without anyone ever capturing photos or film of the 2-foot-tall, flamboyantly crested bird. Although the book’s regional focus may be narrow, its tragic tales of environmental degradation, epic violence, and human foolhardiness have implications that will resonate well beyond the dangerous forests and valleys of Northern Mexico. Although questing for technically extinct birds like the Imperial Woodpecker is “generally akin to believing in Sasquatch or claiming to have been abducted by a UFO,” Gallagher embarks on a risky trek past poppy farms, burned out houses, and terrified villagers to the wilderness area of the two-foot-long creature’s last definitive sighting in the 1950s. ![]() The book recounts the natural and political history of the region, weaving in stories about Gallagher’s encounters with birds, locals, bird-watchers, and scientific experts. Led by a decades-old map and film footage of the majestic bird, Gallagher travels to Mexico’s Sierra Madre Occidental range, where drug traffickers rule with impunity and horrific acts of violence-including kidnapping, arson, murder-are part of everyday life. An insectivore, it inhabits deciduous forests in eastern North America, the Great Lakes, the boreal forests of Canada, and parts of the Pacific Coast. Close ). The pileated woodpecker (/ p a l i e t d w d p k r, p -/, Dryocopus pileatus) is a large, mostly black woodpecker native to North America. (1898) The Imperial Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Campephilus imperialis (Gould).Auk 15: 217-223. ![]() After taking part in the sensational 2005 discovery of the rare Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Arkansas, Cornell ornithologist Gallagher (The Grail Bird) sets his sight on an even bigger prize: the legendary Imperial Woodpecker, a giant, elaborately crested species thought to be long extinct. Vocalizations of Imperial Woodpecker were described by Nelson as 'nasal, penny-trumpet like notes' (11 Nelson, E. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |