hairy woodpecker

noun

1. a North American woodpecker, Picoides villosus, resembling but larger than the downy woodpecker.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hairy woodpecker¹

An Americanism dating back to 1720–30

Example Sentences

He points out a hairy woodpecker pounding away at a snag.

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A photo caption that accompanied an image with the article misidentified a downy woodpecker as a hairy woodpecker, and a group of bright yellow finches or vireos was referred to only as “birds.”

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

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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.

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One challenge was to discern the hairy woodpecker from its doppelganger, the downy woodpecker.

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