Full details of the new audio evidence will be presented later this month at the American Ornithologists' Union meeting in Santa Barbara, California.
Simon says researchers were able to identify the ivory-bill's raps, which are used for communication, by calculating the time between each knock. He says the rapping speed is very fast (70-80 milliseconds) for many species of Campephilus.
"Because they have such a large bill, they can communicate very far by rapping," he added.
Simon belongs to the ivory-bill research team that announced the bird's rediscovery in April.
Holy Grail
At the time, team leader John W. Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, described the red-crested, black-and-white woodpecker as the holy grail for U.S. birders. The last previous confirmed sighting occurred in 1944 in Louisiana.
Despite the recent challenge, Fitzpatrick remained confident that the bird's survival in the Big Woods region would be confirmed.
"We remain fully convinced that at least one bird was present in 2004 and early 2005," he told National Geographic News last week.
Karen Foerstel, spokesperson for The Nature Conservancy, said, "We are glad that the scientific consensus of the bird's existence is continuing to grow. Now, more than ever, it is critical to continue our work to conserve the forest habitats of Arkansas for the ivory-bill and the hundreds of other species that rely on the woods for survival."
The team plans to continue their search this fall when reduced leaf cover should increase the chances of catching further glimpses of the elusive bird.
Meanwhile, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has produced a new, online guide to assist amateur birders keen to search for the woodpecker themselves. The Web site includes tips on how to tell an ivory-bill from a pileated woodpecker and a place to report sightings.
The ivory-bill's historic range covers much of the southeastern U.S. However, the bird only inhabits mature lowland forests, where it strips bark off dying trees with its powerful beak to reach insect grubs.
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