woodpecker

American  

[wood-pek-er] / ˈwʊdˌpɛk ər /

noun

• woodpeckers
  plural

1. any of numerous climbing birds of the family Picidae, having a hard, chisel-like bill that it hammers repeatedly into wood in search of insects, stiff tail feathers to assist in climbing, and usually more or less boldly patterned plumage.

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woodpecker British  

/ ˈwʊdˌpɛkə /

noun

1. any climbing bird of the family Picidae, typically having a brightly coloured plumage and strong chisel-like bill with which they bore into trees for insects: order Piciformes

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• woodpeckers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of woodpecker

First recorded in 1520–30; wood ¹ + pecker

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Explanation

Woodpeckers are birds that use their sharp bills to drill holes in trees so they can forage for insects. While woodpeckers are occasionally considered pests, they actually protect trees against infestation.. There are over 200 species of woodpecker, most of which live in wooded areas. They vary in appearance, but many have black and white feathers and a bright red cap. One thing all woodpeckers have in common is the ability to peck holes in a tree trunk hard enough so they can reach the tasty insects and grubs inside with their long tongues. If you hear a faint tapping as you walk through the forest, it's probably a woodpecker!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

woodpecker woodpeckers

As a small-scale songbird rehabilitator I am not equipped, for instance, to take on a pileated woodpecker, which can smash its way out of any enclosure not made of steel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025

Cooper writes: “As a Black kid in the 1970s, I was rarer than an ivory-billed woodpecker in the very white world of birding.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2024

And when Bagpuss awoke, so did his friends: Professor Yaffle the woodpecker bookend, Gabriel the toad and Madeleine the rag doll, as well as the musical mice on their magical mouse organ.

From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2024

Now water runs from more marshy areas and the squeaky call of the rarely spotted red-cockaded woodpecker resounds from mature pines.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 14, 2023

This caused perhaps the most publicized dissent against the Lazarus woodpecker, with op-ed pieces running weekly in the paper to disparage John Barling and his mob of birdwatcher friends.

From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley

Market hunters used shotguns, nets and traps to fill traincars with passenger pigeons—as well as robins, woodpeckers, blackbirds and orioles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

However, if the city is successful in planting more trees to help combat extreme heat, it could have the added benefit of hosting more birds such as acorn woodpeckers and California scrub jays.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2024

She provides shelter, nesting materials, and food to myriad juncos, black-capped chickadees, chestnut-backed chickadees, nuthatches, Bewick’s wrens, towhees, all our native woodpeckers, various migratory birds, pollinators, and so many other wildlife.

From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2024

She says she now never sees less common species like treecreepers, nuthatches and green woodpeckers in her garden.

From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2024

Strange bird sounds answer me: ca-caw of crows, whoop of owls, knocking woodpeckers, and a whistling nightingale.

From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

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