woodpecker

[woo d-pek-er] /ˈwʊdˌpɛk ər/
noun
1.
any of numerous climbing birds of the family Picidae, having a hard, chisellike 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.
Origin
1520-30; wood1 + pecker
Examples from the web for woodpecker
  • They listened, face-to-face, their ears over woodpecker holes in the trunk.
  • Tells what species are increasing and how small birds survive by bunching together in bushes or woodpecker holes.
  • Now comes a sonic burst, as a downy woodpecker drills into a nearby trunk.
  • Two groups say the ivory-billed woodpecker is extinct.
  • The blond-crested woodpecker and several species of hummingbirds are frequently at the waterfalls.
  • Ladder-backed woodpecker and northern quail make their homes in the area all year long.
  • Some other possibilities: the ball could have been pecked open by a woodpecker or chickadee or parasitized by a wasp.
  • woodpecker's head inspires shock absorbers for planes and cars.
  • Now even the skeptics agree that the ivory-billed woodpecker lives.
  • The phoenix had nothing on the ivory-billed woodpecker.
British Dictionary definitions for woodpecker

woodpecker

/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
Word Origin and History for woodpecker
n.

1520s, from wood (n.) + pecker.