NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has announced the return of an extirpated woodpecker back into the state through a partnership.

The Red-cockaded Woodpecker will be reintroduced into Tennessee after the species was extirpated from the state in 1994.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, “Extirpation is the complete disappearance (elimination) of a species from a given region, island, or area.”

Gov. Bill Lee said that the return of this bird not only marks a biological milestone but is a triumph of collaboration in the Volunteer State.

“This is conservation at its best, and a promise kept to the land, the people, and future generations of Tennesseans,” Lee said.

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The Red-cockade

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