woodpecker

American  

[wood-pek-er] / ˈwʊdˌpɛk ər /

noun

woodpeckers plural

1. any of numerous climbing birds of the family Picidae, having a hard, chisel-like bill that it hammers repeatedly into wood in search of insects, stiff tail feathers to assist in climbing, and usually more or less boldly patterned plumage.

---

woodpecker British  

/ ˈwʊdˌpɛkə /

noun

1. any climbing bird of the family Picidae, typically having a brightly coloured plumage and strong chisel-like bill with which they bore into trees for insects: order Piciformes

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• woodpeckers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of woodpecker

First recorded in 1520–30; wood ¹ + pecker

Explanation

Woodpeckers are birds that use their sharp bills to drill holes in trees so they can forage for insects. While woodpeckers are occasionally considered pests, they actually protect trees against infestation.. There are over 200 species of woodpecker, most of which live in wooded areas. They vary in appearance, but many have black and white feathers and a bright red cap. One thing all woodpeckers have in common is the ability to peck holes in a tree trunk hard enough so they can reach the tasty insects and grubs inside with their long tongues. If you hear a faint tapping as you walk through the forest, it's probably a woodpecker!

Example Sentences

There, walkers can spot trillium and Indian plum along the Lost Lake, Woodpecker and Licorice Fern trails around this time of year.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 12, 2024

“In places like South Carolina, where they have literally hundreds of thousands of acres of privately owned forest enrolled, Red-cockaded Woodpecker numbers have shot up dramatically.”

From Scientific American • Oct. 20, 2023

The shrimp closely resembles Woody Woodpecker, down to its three-fingered hands, unusual among both birds and crustaceans.

From New York Times • Oct. 18, 2021

That night, the Simpsons and other viewers watched cartoon shorts featuring Betty Boop and Woody the Woodpecker, among others, before the main feature, the 1947 western “Angel and the Badman” starring John Wayne.

From Washington Times • Apr. 19, 2020

For the Woodpecker Festival, metal trailers had been brought in from as far as Harrison, and they now enclosed the park in a full circle.

From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley