woodpeckers Definition

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

a woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) found from the U.S. Pacific coast south to Colombia that stores acorns in small holes which it digs especially in the bark of trees

a small black-and-white woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) of North America that has a white back and is smaller than the hairy woodpecker

a common North American woodpecker (Picoides villosus) closely resembling the downy woodpecker but larger with a longer bill

a very large black-and-white woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) of the southeastern U.S. and Cuba that has a showy red crest in the male and is presumed extinct in the U.S.

a large red-crested North American woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) that is black with white on the face, neck, and undersides of the wings

a woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) of the eastern U.S. that has a barred black-and-white back, grayish-tan underparts tinged with red on the belly, and a red crown and nape in the male and a red nape in the female