red-headed woodpecker


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

Origin of red-headed woodpecker

1
An Americanism dating back to 1720–30

Words Nearby red-headed woodpecker

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use red-headed woodpecker in a sentence

  • There are 800 to 900 bird species that use this system, Barve says, including red-cockaded and red-headed woodpeckers.

  • "I shouldn't think you needed much teaching," laughed the red-headed woodpecker, tapping the limb with his powerful bill.

    Bumper, The White Rabbit | George Ethelbert Walsh
  • A friend of mine in a Southern city tells me of a red-headed woodpecker that drums upon a lightning-rod on his neighbor's house.

    A Year in the Fields | John Burroughs
  • The Indian replied that he was seeking an arrow lost in a shot at a red-headed woodpecker.

    Pomo Bear Doctors | Samuel Alfred Barrett
  • A red-headed woodpecker, carrying a yellow butterfly, flew on a fence stake ahead of them and peeped around as they drew near.

    Two Little Savages | Ernest Thompson Seton