Friday, September 29, 2006

Maybe Woodpeckers?

Via RLK, thanks man, we get some potentially good news out of FL. It seems some researchers may have more info on the "extinct" ivory-billed woodpecker. Along with last year's maybe sighting, it's possible the bird, the Lord God Bird, may be living in places other than Cuba. Yeah, sure, how could a bird made extinct in the good, old, legal-to-torture USA still be living in Cuba, that evil, backward Communist state?*
After spending months in remote northwest Florida swamps searching for the ivory-billed woodpecker, researchers say they have seen and heard the rare bird once believed to be extinct.

But Auburn University ornithologists, who published their findings in Canada's Avian Conservation and Ecology journal online Tuesday, failed to capture a picture of the large woodpecker, which makes a distinct double rapping sound.

That lack of evidence means doubt about the bird's return remains.

*Infant mortality: USA - 7 per 1,000 (We rank 29th in the world.)
"According to the CDC, 75 babies die each day in the USA...."
Go here to check the numbers.
Cuba - 6.3 per thousand.

Life Expectancy: USA - 76.1 (year 2000)
Cuba - 76.2 (year 2000)

Literacy Rate: USA - 97%
Cuba - 96%

Go here for more interesting data on the two countries. Some of the figures in this link differ slightly from some of the ones cited above. They are minor difference, however. But the point is, the ivory-billed woodpecker has life in Cuba, albeit without a market economy.

1 comment:

BurdockBoy said...

The supposed spotting in Florida has been a politcal one because the location is close to a proposed site to build an airport or something. I guess this will be the next spotted owl.