Woodpecker

10 definitions retrieved

Woodpecker \Wood"peck`er\, n. (Zool.)
Any one of numerous species of scansorial birds belonging to
Picus and many allied genera of the family Picidae.
[1913 Webster]

Note: These birds have the tail feathers pointed and rigid at
the tip to aid in climbing, and a strong chisellike
bill with which they are able to drill holes in the
bark and wood of trees in search of insect larvae upon
which most of the species feed. A few species feed
partly upon the sap of trees (see Sap sucker, under
Sap), others spend a portion of their time on the
ground in search of ants and other insects.
[1913 Webster] The most common European species are the
greater spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopus major), the
lesser spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopus minor), and
the green woodpecker, or yaffle (see Yaffle).
[1913 Webster] The best-known American species are the
pileated woodpecker (see under Pileated), the
ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis),
which is one of the largest known species, the
red-headed woodpecker, or red-head ({Melanerpes
erythrocephalus}), the red-bellied woodpecker
(Melanerpes Carolinus) (see Chab), the superciliary
woodpecker (Melanerpes superciliaris), the hairy
woodpecker (Dryobates villosus), the downy woodpecker
(Dryobates pubescens), the three-toed, woodpecker
(Picoides Americanus), the golden-winged woodpecker
(see Flicker), and the sap suckers. See also
Carpintero.
[1913 Webster]

Woodpecker hornbill (Zool.), a black and white Asiatic
hornbill (Buceros pica) which resembles a woodpecker in
color.
[1913 Webster]

woodpecker
n 1: bird with strong claws and a stiff tail adapted for
climbing and a hard chisel-like bill for boring into wood
for insects [syn: woodpecker, peckerwood, pecker]