Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Size: Explained & Compared With Others

Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Height

Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Size

I have always been fascinated by woodpeckers, as they are known as the bird world’s construction workers. 

These are colorful and attractive birds known for pecking tree wood with their pointed long and strong beaks. 

You can easily tell apart these species of birds from their long tongues and wood-pecking habits, but how can you distinguish one type of woodpecker from the other?

Ivory Billed Woodpeckers are a type of woodpecker but can be difficult to tell apart in a flock of different woodpeckers. 

This is when factors such as their size could be useful to distinguish them. 

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker north of Mexico and it is also the third largest in the world, it was once a bird of old-growth forests in the southeastern United States and Cuba.

The Ivory Billed Woodpecker has an average length of 18.1-20.1 in (46-51 cm) or 1.5-1.67 ft. It is a large woodpecker, but sadly it has been declared a critically endangered species of woodpeckers due to the loss of its habitat. 

Height Centimeter Inches Feet
Ivory Billed Woodpecker46-51 cm18.1-20.1 in1.5-1.67 ft

Both the male and female Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers have similar heights. 

Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Weight

Another way to distinguish these species of woodpeckers is their distinct weight or body mass. The Ivory-billed woodpecker is a very rare species of woodpecker and one of the world’s largest. 

It is large in terms of length and is also insanely giant in terms of its mass when compared to other woodpeckers. 

The Ivory-billed woodpecker is the only North American woodpecker with a bill that is flattened laterally, resembling a beveled wood chisel. 

They peck wood with their bills and eat their prey with their bills. The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is an omnivore. The ivory-billed woodpecker feeds primarily on beetle larvae.

Based on their diet and nutrition, the weight of these woodpeckers keeps varying. However, the average weight of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker is about 450 to 570 g (1.0 to 1.25 lb) or 0.45 to 0.57 kg. 

Weight Grams KilogramsPounds 
Ivory Billed Woodpecker450 to 570 g0.45 to 0.57 kgs1.0 to 1.25 lb

Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Wingspan

Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Size

Ivory-billed woodpeckers fly with grace and precision, in a strong, direct path with steady wing beats. 

The bird’s wings are shiny blue-black with extensive white markings on its neck and both the upper and lower trailing edges of its wings. 

Furthermore, this species is known to have unusual physiology and fascinating flight characteristics, such as a high flap rate, fast and direct flight, and dramatic swooping takeoffs and landings. 

Talking about their wingspan, the Ivory Billed Woodpeckers have an average wingspan of about 29-31.5 inches (76-80 centimeters) or 2.49-2.62 Feet. 

Wingspan Centimeter Inches Feet
Ivory Billed Woodpecker76-80 cm29-31.5 in2.49-2.62 ft

They surely do have a large wingspan!

Ivory Billed Woodpecker Size Comparison With Pileated Woodpecker

There are many other woodpeckers in nature that are much larger or smaller, heavier or lighter. The anatomy and appearance of birds differ from one another. 

While looking at differences between species is beneficial, looking at differences and similarities within a single species is also beneficial.

Here, we compare two well-known woodpeckers – the Ivory Billed Woodpecker and the Pileated Woodpecker. Overall, the Ivory Billed Woodpecker has a greater advantage in flight due to its length and larger wingspan.

While the ivory-billed woodpecker measures 19 to 21 inches and weighs between 0.99 and 1.25 pounds, the pileated woodpecker is lighter in weight but larger in size, weighing between 0.55 and 0.77 pounds and measuring between 16 and 19 inches in length. 

Additionally, the Pileated Woodpecker has a 3-inch shorter wingspan than the ivory Billed Woodpecker.

BirdsHeight Weight Wingspan 
Ivory Billed Woodpecker18.1-20.1 in (46-51 cm)450 to 570 g (1.0 to 1.25 lb)29-31.5 in(76-80 cm)
Pileated Woodpecker16 to 19 in (40 to 49 cm)8.8-12.3 oz (250-350 g)26 to 30 in (66 to 75 cm)

Unlike the Ivory Billed Woodpecker, the male and female Pileated woodpecker weigh differently. The male Pileated woodpecker is heavier than their female counterparts.

Ivory Billed Woodpecker Vs Red Headed Woodpecker

Moving on to another woodpecker on the list is the Red Headed Woodpecker. These are not quite large as the pileated or the Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers.

Red-headed Woodpeckers are medium-sized woodpeckers with large, rounded heads, short, stiff tails, and powerful, spike-like bills. 

These stunning birds have a crimson head, a black back, large white wing patches, and a white belly. Interestingly, these woodpeckers store their food for later use.

When comparing the sizes of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker and the Red-headed Woodpecker, the Ivory Billed Woodpecker is clearly larger. 

The Red-headed Woodpecker stands 19 to 25 cm (7.5 to 9.8 in), weighs 56 to 97 g (2.0 to 3.4 oz), and has a wingspan of about 42.5 cm (16.7 in). Similar to the Ivory Billed woodpecker both the male and female red-headed woodpeckers are of the same size. 

BirdsHeight Weight Wingspan 
Ivory Billed Woodpecker18.1-20.1 in (46-51 cm)450 to 570 g (1.0 to 1.25 lb)29-31.5 in(76-80 cm)
Red Headed woodpecker19 to 25 cm (7.5 to 9.8 in)56 to 97 g (2.0 to 3.4 oz)42.5 cm (16.7 in)

The Red-headed woodpecker is lighter and smaller in terms of both length and wingspan than the Ivory Billed Woodpecker.

Ivory Billed Woodpecker Vs Northern Flicker

While the Northern Flickers do not have ‘woodpecker’ in their name, they do belong to the woodpecker family. 

Northern Flickers, on the other hand, do not behave like other woodpeckers. They forage primarily on the ground, occasionally among sparrows and blackbirds. 

Northern Flickers are also unique among North American woodpeckers in that they are brown in color rather than black and white.

Northern Flickers have an average length of 11.0-12.2 in (28-31 cm), weigh 3.9-5.6 oz (110-160 g), and have a wingspan of about 16.5-20.1 in (42-51 cm). These are obviously smaller than the Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers. 

BirdsHeight Weight Wingspan 
Ivory Billed Woodpecker18.1-20.1 in (46-51 cm)450 to 570 g (1.0 to 1.25 lb)29-31.5 in(76-80 cm)
Northern Flicker11.0-12.2 in (28-31 cm)3.9-5.6 oz (110-160 g)16.5-20.1 in (42-51 cm)

The weight of the Ivory Billed Woodpeckers is four times the weight of the Northern Flicker. That is they are insanely four times heavier!

Conclusion

And that was everything you need to know about the size of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker. I hope this article was informative enough and you got something useful from it.

Thank You For Reading!

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