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woodpecker

Woodpecker Wood"peck`er, n. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of scansorial birds belonging to Picus and many allied genera of the family Picid[ae]. [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 larv[ae] 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} (Zo["o]l.), a black and white Asiatic hornbill ({Buceros pica}) which resembles a woodpecker in color. [1913 Webster]