from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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]