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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After a tour, keep wildlife-watching from one of the tents or cabins at Collective Retreats Governors Island, which is open May to October on a 172-acre island in New York Harbor that attracts hawks, herons, woodpeckers, and more.
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Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 16 Sep. 2025
The need for big trees Another bird that has dramatically increased in population and range is the pileated woodpecker.
—Tom Langen, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
Another potential sign is an increase in woodpecker activity in the affected tree.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 Aug. 2025
And that is not subject to the same kind of constraint as the beak of the finch cracking a nut, or a woodpecker pounding into a tree to get food.
—Quanta Magazine, 21 Aug. 2025
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Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 16 Sep. 2025
The need for big trees Another bird that has dramatically increased in population and range is the pileated woodpecker.
—Tom Langen, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
Another potential sign is an increase in woodpecker activity in the affected tree.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 Aug. 2025
And that is not subject to the same kind of constraint as the beak of the finch cracking a nut, or a woodpecker pounding into a tree to get food.
—Quanta Magazine, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for woodpecker
Cite this Entry
“Woodpecker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woodpecker. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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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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