This is the Ivory-billed woodpecker. I created this cryptid creature / monster art for Fairytales and Myths.
The Ivory-billed woodpecker, Campephilus principalis, is officially classified as critically endangered or possibly extinct and generates a great deal of research and debate as to whether or not it still exists.
I’m pretty sure this was my first time ever illustrating a bird (well, unless you count art school when I was a kid). This woodpecker has a very distinct feather pattern so it was a bit tricky getting those feathers to look just right.
Check out the Ivory-bill Woodpecker page for more details.