JULY 10, 2019
University of North Texas Ph.D.
candidate, Amy Wynia, traveled more than 6,000 miles to Navarino Island in
southern-most Chile to explore the forests in search of the Magellanic
Woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus), the largest woodpecker in South
America. While Wynia went to the ends of the earth to collect information for
her Ph.D. dissertation, she also went because she really loves woodpeckers.
"The first time I actually
held a woodpecker… that moment of me connecting with that bird in my hand and
feeling those stiff tail feathers, it really stuck with me," said Wynia, a
student and researcher in UNT's Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program.
"I've captured lots of birds in my time but the woodpecker was
one bird that just really impressed me."
Less than 700 miles north of
Antarctica, Wynia spent some of her days attempting to detect, capture and band
the Campephilus magellanicus to study the bird population. She captured
52 woodpeckers in her time there but said it wasn't easy.
"We use large, special nets
that are specifically designed to safely and humanely capture birds. But, these
birds have very sharp bills and claws designed to rend and tear bark. And, as
the birds and banding work is too delicate to wear gloves, I often went home
bleeding," she said.
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