Bird of God to be declared extinct

The US government wants to declare 23 animals, including the great ivory-billed woodpecker, extinct. The federal wildlife and Fisheries Agency has submitted a proposal to this effect. Most species, including birds and fish, have not been observed for a long time.

The government will cease its search for the 23 animals on the list of endangered species.

“As climate change and the loss of wildlife are bringing more and more species to the brink of extinction, it is time to step up proactive, collaborative and innovative efforts to save us Wildlife,” said Home Secretary Deb Haaland.

Among the 23 species proposed are a bat, eleven birds, eight freshwater mussels, two fish species and a flowering plant from the mint family, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The ivory-billed woodpecker, also known to birdwatchers as the’ bird of God’, was the largest woodpecker in the US, but logging in primeval forests in the south of the country has destroyed its habitat. The last known sighting was in 1944 in the northeast of the southern state of Louisiana, according to the service. An observation from 2004 is strongly disputed: it is most likely a different species of woodpecker.

Scientists have pointed out that due to climate change and the destruction of the natural environment, animals will increasingly become extinct. Currently, more than thirteen hundred animals are on the US list of the most endangered species.