hairy woodpecker

noun

Definition of hairy woodpecker

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

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Recent Examples of hairy woodpecker from the Web

Red-bellied, downy and hairy woodpeckers love peanuts, a high-protein, high-energy food, as do other songbirds.

— evan macdonald, cleveland.com, "No one harmed in Christmas house fire in Broadview Heights," 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, "A vast new green jewel for the region in largest-ever community campaign led by Forterra," 25 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hairy woodpecker.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.