hairy woodpecker
noun
: a common North American woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus) closely resembling the downy woodpecker but larger with a longer bill
Examples of hairy woodpecker in a Sentence
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Davie Park filled in some gaps in our list with such goodies as a brown creeper, pine warbler and hairy woodpecker.
—
Taylor Piephoff, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
The hairy woodpecker and the downy woodpecker are quite similar and can be difficult for novice birders to distinguish.
—John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Oct. 2021
One challenge was to discern the hairy woodpecker from its doppelganger, the downy woodpecker.
—Adrian Higgins, Washington Post, 17 July 2019
Red-bellied, downy and hairy woodpeckers love peanuts, a high-protein, high-energy food, as do other songbirds.
—Evan MacDonald, cleveland.com, 25 Dec. 2017
The forest also is home to bear, coyote, deer and birds from hairy woodpeckers to red-breasted sapsuckers.
—Lynda V. Mapes, The Seattle Times, 25 Dec. 2017
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Taylor Piephoff, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
The hairy woodpecker and the downy woodpecker are quite similar and can be difficult for novice birders to distinguish.
—John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Oct. 2021
One challenge was to discern the hairy woodpecker from its doppelganger, the downy woodpecker.
—Adrian Higgins, Washington Post, 17 July 2019
Red-bellied, downy and hairy woodpeckers love peanuts, a high-protein, high-energy food, as do other songbirds.
—Evan MacDonald, cleveland.com, 25 Dec. 2017
The forest also is home to bear, coyote, deer and birds from hairy woodpeckers to red-breasted sapsuckers.
—Lynda V. Mapes, The Seattle Times, 25 Dec. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Hairy woodpecker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hairy%20woodpecker. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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