Abstract
The helmet woodpecker, (Dryocopus galeatus) the rarest of South American piciformes, has been reliably spotted for the first time in decades, reports Piciformes Specialist Group Chairman Dr. Lester L. Short. Researcher Dr. Edwin Willis sighted one female of the distinctive species in February in western Sao Paulo, Brazil. (I.C.B.P. World Birdwatch, Vol. 9, No. 2).