In the way that some news is not really news, the AP released a story last night about the mysterious Ivory-billed woodpecker and the continued search for it in east Arkansas.

Often referred to as the ‘Lord God Bird,’ one was last seen by Cornell ornithology students in early 2005.

To date, searchers have investigated about 83,000 of the 550,000-acre woods that swallow up the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is where kayaker Gene Sparling spotted the bird Feb. 11, 2004, and Cornell University experts said they made subsequent sightings.

Anytime I read or hear anything about this very rare (and possibly extinct) species, I think of this song. Written by Sufjan Stevens and released as part of NPR’s coverage of the bird’s re-discovery back in 2005, “The Lord God Bird” is one of my favorite Sufjan songs and, surprisingly, it’s still a free download.

At just under four minutes, it presents many of the things I love about Sufjan: whispered vocals telling beautifully illustrating stories about woods over banjos and soft percussion. And on some level, I appreciate that many of his songs are chockfull of religious undercurrents.