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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• woodpeckers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of woodpecker

First recorded in 1520–30; wood ¹ + pecker

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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

See Examples For:

woodpecker woodpeckers

Along with the passenger pigeon we exterminated the great auk, the Carolina parakeet, the Labrador duck and the ivory-billed woodpecker.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

Cooper writes: “As a Black kid in the 1970s, I was rarer than an ivory-billed woodpecker in the very white world of birding.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2024

And when Bagpuss awoke, so did his friends: Professor Yaffle the woodpecker bookend, Gabriel the toad and Madeleine the rag doll, as well as the musical mice on their magical mouse organ.

From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2024

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

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 1, 2023

But it drew me to her to think she loved water rocks and woodpecker feathers, that she had a single picture of her mother just like I did.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

The residents watched the same deer, coyotes and woodpeckers and played tennis and swam with the same dramatic backdrop of the Santa Monica Mountains.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026

Her fondest memories are here, where she raised three children and loves watching squirrels and woodpeckers in her large, fenced yard.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2024

She says she now never sees less common species like treecreepers, nuthatches and green woodpeckers in her garden.

From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2024

Snag-reliant woodpeckers are of particular importance among those species, acting as ecosystem engineers through their foraging and nesting activities.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 23, 2024

The burger itself wasn’t made from woodpeckers, of course, but instead was a quarter pound of beef with ketchup, mayonnaise, and barbecue sauce.

From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley

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