three-toed woodpecker

noun

1. either of two woodpeckers of the genus Picoides, of the Northern Hemisphere, having only three toes on each foot.

2. any of various similar, tropical, Old World woodpeckers.

Word History and Origins

Origin of three-toed woodpecker¹

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

In a corner, an American three-toed woodpecker sits in a tree.

Read more on Washington Post

The Katahdin area is also well regarded by bird lovers as a birding hotspot, with species ranging from the three-toed woodpecker to the bald eagle.

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One of the last sprawling wild areas in the East, the 87,500 acre area along the east branch of the Penobscot River is home to lynx, bears, brook trout and moose, and it is one of the only places on the East Coast where rare bird species like gray jays, boreal chickadees and the American three-toed woodpecker can be spotted.

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The birds here include: three-toed woodpecker, red-breasted flycatcher, collared flycatcher, white-backed woodpecker, black woodpecker, chaffinch, robin, river warbler, corncrake... and many more, easily meeting the demands of birders' lengthy checklists.

Read more on BBC

Among those who rely on the dead spruces are the pygmy owl, the smallest owl species in Europe, and the three-toed woodpecker, which has a precarious existence in Bialowieza.

Read more on Seattle Times