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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Dendrocopus major

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].

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.

Woodpecker hornbill (Zo["o]l.), a black and white Asiatic hornbill ( Buceros pica) which resembles a woodpecker in color.