The Hunt for the Ivory - billed Woodpecker 12 . 05 . 06 Image above : An artist ' s image of what an ivory - billed woodpecker looks like . Credit : George M . Sutton / Cornell Lab of OrnithologyTake a look at the world around you . Look at the grass and trees . Look at the plants and animals . You never know what you ' ll see . Gene Sparling was surprised by what he saw . In 2004 , he was paddling a small boat on an Arkansas river . The river ' s banks were covered by forest . Suddenly , he looked up and saw a big , black - and - white bird . This wasn ' t just any bird , he thought . This one looked like an ivory - billed woodpecker . But could it really be ? Such a bird hadn ' t been seen for more than 60 years . Many scientists thought there were no more living ivory - billed woodpeckers . The last one had been seen in a forest in Louisiana . Those forests are almost gone . Many of the trees were cut down for their wood , which is burned as fuel . News of Gene ' s discovery quickly spread . Since then , several other people have also reported seeing the same kind of bird . Bird experts now say that at least one ivory - billed woodpecker still lives in Arkansas . NASA scientists are trying to find the bird . one of these scientists is Woody Turner . Woody has always liked to watch birds . He calls himself a " wildlife nut . " He can ' t think of a time when he wasn ' t interested in animals . Woody is working with a team of people . They are using a laser that is carried by an aircraft . A laser is an instrument that produces narrow beams of light . The light goes straight down into the forest . It bounces off trees , leaves and the ground , and then back to the laser . The scientists are using the laser light to make a map of the forest where Gene says he saw the bird . The scientists will compare the map with a study done in 1942 . The study gives them an idea of the kind of forest the woodpecker likes . The scientists will look for similar areas on the map they are making . Without the laser , people would have to walk all through the forest to search for where the bird might live . The laser makes the job much easier . " Finding the woodpecker would be great , " says Woody . He says , " It ' s a beautiful bird . " Males have a bright red crest on their heads . If the ivory - billed woodpecker does still live , it would be the largest woodpecker in the country . It would be the third largest in the whole world . It would be amazing that such a large bird could survive for so many years and not be seen . Finding the bird could also make people want to take care of the forest . The fewer trees that are cut down , the more forest there is for the bird to live in . A healthy forest could help protect many other animals and plants , too . Original story by Prachi Patel - Predd , Institute for Global Environmental StrategiesAdapted for K - 4 audience by Dan Stillman , Institute for Global Environmental Strategies