After more than three decades of absence, Tennessee is preparing to welcome back a bird once thought lost to the state: the red-cockaded woodpecker.
State and federal wildlife officials have announced a long-term plan to reintroduce the species, with the first birds potentially arriving as early as 2028, reported The Washington Post. The last confirmed sighting in Tennessee occurred in 1994.
“Not too many people get to be part of bringing a species back to their state,” said David Hanni, a bird conservation biologist with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, per The Washington Post. “It’s an awesome opportunity.”…