Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

downy woodpecker

American  

noun

  1. a small, North American woodpecker, Picoides pubescens, having black and white plumage.


Etymology

Origin of downy woodpecker

An Americanism dating back to 1800–10


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Also, a downy woodpecker was incorrectly identified as a hairy woodpecker.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 7, 2023

Instead, we found a flock of house finches, another of pine siskins and a diminutive downy woodpecker.

From New York Times ● Dec. 3, 2022

The downy woodpecker uses its bill to search for food on small twigs and branches while the hairy woodpecker is most often observed searching for food on tree trunks.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

Among the species he reported seeing were the hairy woodpecker, downy woodpecker, black-capped chickadee, red breasted nuthatch, white breasted nuthatch and red-bellied woodpecker.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 2, 2021

Behind her the downy woodpecker drilled into a dead tree with a special beat she recognized.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com