woodpecker
n. countablen. a bird that has a strong beak and eats insects that live inside trees. It is famous for hitting the wood of trees with its beak to find food.
n. any of various birds of the family Picidae, characterized by a long, chisel-like bill and a habit of pecking at tree trunks to find insects. Often used in a general sense to refer to any bird that pecks wood.
A woodpecker is pecking at the old oak tree.
The rhythmic tapping of a woodpecker echoed through the forest as it searched for beetles under the bark.
While many species of woodpecker are known for their drumming behavior, the specific frequency and pattern of the pecks vary significantly between different genera and habitats.
From wood + pecker. Compare Middle English wod spek (“woodpecker”), Middle English wodehake (“woodpecker”), Middle English wodewale (“woodpecker”). Displaced speight.