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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
Recent Examples on the Web
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
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hairy woodpecker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1728, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of hairy woodpecker was
circa 1728
Dictionary Entries Near hairy woodpecker
Cite this Entry
“Hairy woodpecker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hairy%20woodpecker. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
hairy woodpecker
noun
: a common North American woodpecker closely resembling but larger than the downy woodpecker
More from Merriam-Webster on hairy woodpecker
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hairy woodpecker
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