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red-headed woodpecker

American  

noun

  1. a black and white North American woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus, having a red head and neck.


Etymology

Origin of red-headed woodpecker

An Americanism dating back to 1720–30

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.

Keep your head on a swivel for a flash of color, and you just might see a yellow-billed cuckoo, green heron or red-headed woodpecker.

From Washington Post • Sep. 15, 2022

A red-headed woodpecker works on a tree in Nebraska.

From National Geographic • Nov. 5, 2016

Now, there’s a red-headed woodpecker making the thing swing, and cardinals dot the forest scrub with red coats, waiting until the bigger birds have their fill.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King

"Hey Chris, bet you don't know the Latin name of the red-headed woodpecker."

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

All took plenty of arrows and beads and otter-skins and red-headed woodpecker scalps, and started to follow the young man.

From Creation Myths of Primitive America In relation to the Religious History and Mental Development of Mankind by Curtin, Jeremiah

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