Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Is One Of 23 Species Declared Extinct

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has declared that 23 species are extinct after decades on the endangered species list. The now-extinct species include the ivory-billed woodpecker, the flat pigtoe freshwater mussel, and the Bachman's warbler.

Overall, FWS has proposed removing 11 species of birds, eight species of freshwater mussels, two fish, one bat, and a flower from the endangered species list after decades of trying to locate and save the species. There will be a 60 day public comment period, after which the species will be considered officially extinct.

"When I see one of those really rare ones, it's always in the back of my mind that I might be the last one to see this animal again," said Anthony "Andy" Ford, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist, according to Yahoo! News.

The agency blamed multiple factors for the extinctions, including climate change, overdevelopment in their habitats, pollution, illegal poaching, and the impact of invasive species.

Some scientists believe the species may reappear in the wild and that it is too early to declare them extinct.

"A bird this iconic, and this representative of the major old-growth forests of the southeast, keeping it on the list of endangered species keeps attention on it, keeps states thinking about managing habitat on the off chance it still exists," Cornell University bird biologist John Fitzpatrick said, referring to the ivory-billed woodpecker, according to NPR.

While the ivory-billed woodpecker hasn't been documented in the wild since 1944, some scientists believe it could still be living in Cuba.

It isn't always bad news for species on the endangered species list. Since 1975, 54 species have recovered thanks to conservation and breeding efforts.