\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. The most
      common European species are the greater spotted
      woodpecker ({Dendrocopus major}), the lesser spotted
      woodpecker ({D. minor}), and the green woodpecker, or
      yaffle (see {Yaffle}). 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 ({M.
      Carolinus}) (see {Chab}), the superciliary woodpecker
      ({M. superciliaris}), the hairy woodpecker ({Dryobates
      villosus}), the downy woodpecker ({D. 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.