Campephilus imperialis; Print; The imperial woodpecker (Campephilus imperialis) is a species of bird; a member of the woodpecker family Picidae. The genus Campephilus is essentially a tropical one; embracing 13 species; including the imperial woodpecker. If it is not extinct; it is the world's largest woodpecker species; at 56-60 cm (22-23.5 in) long. Researchers have discovered that the imperial woodpecker has slow climbing strides and a fast wing-flap rate compared with other woodpeckers. Owing to its close taxonomic relationship; and its similarity in appearance; to the ivory-billed woodpecker; it is sometimes called the Mexican ivory-billed woodpecker; but this name is also used for the extant pale-billed woodpecker (Campephilus guatemalensis). The large and conspicuous bird has long been known to the native inhabitants of Mexico and was called cuauhtotomomi in Nahuatl; uagam by the Tepehu醤; and cumec骳ari by the Tarahumara.; 1700-1880