Campaphilus principalis - The ivory-billed woodpecker is one of the largest woodpeckers. It measures between 48 to 53 centimeters in length. Both sexes have crests, with the male’s being bright red; the female’s is black. This species is thought to be extinct. The last known sighting was of a small population in Eastern Cuba during the late 1980’s. The decline of this species coincides with the unrestricted logging of the forest habitat necessary for the ivory-billed woodpecker’s survival.
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Prior to the arrival of the Spanish in 1492, Cuba was inhabited by three distinct people: the Taíno, the Guanajatabey, and the Ciboney people. Each had arrived from the neighboring mainland. The Taíno had settled throughout the larger islands of the Caribbean. The Guanajatabey people were limited to the western sections of Cuba and may have been the first to arrive on Cuba. The Ciboney were also an early group and were mainly located in Central Cuba. The Taínos had called their island Caobana.
