An Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis), sometimes called the "Lord God Bird" because of the first words uttered by awe-struck observers, has been rediscovered in Arkansas' Cache River National Wildlife Refuge. The bird was widely considered to be extinct because the last universally accepted sighting was in 1944 in Louisiana. Over the years, there have been numerous unconfirmed sightings from throughout the southeastern United States. In February 2004, a kayaker reported seeing the bird and the search was on again. Experienced ornithologists explored the area, resulting in several sightings and video footage of a lone male bird.

In the 1800s, the U.S. range of the ivory-billed woodpecker extended throughout the southeastern and lower Mississippi Valley states. The birds inhabited bottomland hardwood forests stretching from the Carolinas to Florida, west to eastern Texas, and up the Mississippi River to its junction with the Ohio River. The ivory-billed woodpecker's disappearance coincided with loss of habitat. The bird has a 30 inch wingspan and is North America's largest woodpecker. The new sightings give hope that the ivory-billed woodpecker is breeding in the area.