Illustration of woodpecker
woodpecker
noun
wood·peck·er
ˈwu̇d-ˌpe-kər 
: any of numerous birds (family Picidae) with zygodactyl feet, stiff spiny tail feathers used in climbing or resting on tree trunks, a usually extensible tongue, a very hard bill used to drill the bark or wood of trees for insect food or to excavate nesting cavities, and generally showy parti-colored plumage
Examples of woodpecker in a Sentence
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So were habitat-altering ecosystem engineers like beavers, woodpeckers, bison and prairie dogs.
—
Lesley Evans Ogden, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 May 2024
Hear about the woodpeckers in Indiana and learn how to attract them to your own yard.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for woodpecker 
Lesley Evans Ogden, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 May 2024
Hear about the woodpeckers in Indiana and learn how to attract them to your own yard.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for woodpecker
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'woodpecker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Woodpecker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woodpecker. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
woodpecker
noun
wood·peck·er
-ˌpek-ər
: any of numerous brightly marked birds with strong claws and stiff tail feathers used in climbing or resting on tree trunks, a long flexible tongue, and a very hard bill used to drill into trees to get insects for food and to dig out holes for nesting
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