How to Use woodpecker in a Sentence

woodpecker

noun
Definition of woodpeckernext
  • The state's largest woodpecker, the bird bores 3- to 4-inch holes in the trunks of dead trees.
    — Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2018
  • The woodpeckers have learned that the granary tree is the best way to do this.
    — Ernie Cowan Outdoors, sandiegouniontribune.com, 7 Apr. 2018
  • The woods are quiet, but for the drilling of a woodpecker.
    — Laurie Hertzel, Star Tribune, 29 Jan. 2021
  • At no point does the woodpecker appear to deal the chicks a death blow.
    — Jason Bittel, Smithsonian, 4 Jan. 2017
  • Somehow, a woodpecker in the desert just didn’t seem right.
    — Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2019
  • The owls often like to make their nests in the cavities that woodpeckers have left in the trees.
    — Shannon Sims, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2023
  • By the way, this is an adult male red-bellied woodpecker.
    — Teresa M. Hanafin, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Oct. 2022
  • Herons, egrets, sandhill cranes and pileated woodpeckers are among the dozens of species of birds that hang out here.
    — Judy Rose, Detroit Free Press, 14 Sep. 2019
  • Even a woodpecker shimmies down from atop the tree, but heads back up for insects.
    — Allan Ripp, WSJ, 9 Nov. 2020
  • As if on cue, a woodpecker swooped in and began to poke its long, narrow beak into the thick trunk.
    — Quanta Magazine, 29 Nov. 2021
  • Despite many searches mounted over the years, the woodpecker hadn’t been seen in decades.
    — Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2021
  • Keep an eye out for this desert woodpecker as another species to add to your life list.
    — Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2019
  • The same woodpecker attacked the soffits on both of our houses.
    — Matthew Klam, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2022
  • In the meantime, spring is peeking through, and the two older ones are busy naming the bugs, the fox, and the woodpecker that can be seen through our windows.
    — Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 17 Apr. 2020
  • Puffs of snow blow through a wall of open glass doors; a sweep of white landscape is pierced only by spindly trees and the scarlet legs of a woodpecker.
    — Danielle Demetriou, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Nov. 2023
  • The estate of Jorge Figueroa claims the state should have removed the tree, which the suit describes as rotting and covered in woodpecker holes.
    — Aimee Green, OregonLive.com, 7 Feb. 2018
  • Downy, hairy, red-bellied, and pileated are the four common woodpecker species this time of year.
    — Star Tribune, 21 Jan. 2021
  • The woodpeckers often hung out in her Colorado Springs, Colorado, front yard and had likely pecked through the ice to get a drink.
    — Nancy Averett, Discover Magazine, 27 Oct. 2019
  • But findings about the woodpecker's skull bones might be more useful.
    — Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2011
  • In Texas, a man claims to see the mysterious black-and-white woodpecker a few times a week on his land near an airport in Longview.
    — Ryan Felton, wsj.com, 3 Apr. 2023
  • At this point, the woodpecker begins extracting brain and blood with its long, sticky tongue.
    — Jason Bittel, Smithsonian, 4 Jan. 2017
  • Small like a hummingbird or large like a crow or woodpecker?
    — Amy Chillag, CNN, 21 Apr. 2020
  • There is no Wi-Fi or television at Tree Top, just the rustling of the birch trees and a cacophony of woodpeckers.
    — Tiffany Thornton, USA TODAY, 21 June 2018
  • For a larger bird like a hawk or woodpecker that might try to sink a beak or talon into your skin, call in an expert right away.
    — Purbita Saha, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2020
  • The forest is a large and welcome habitat for forest birds like the veery, wood thrush, and a variety of owls and woodpeckers.
    — Denise Coffey, Courant Community, 26 Apr. 2018
  • A family of woodpeckers have made their home in a rotted tree.
    — Jason Ruiter, OrlandoSentinel.com, 29 May 2017
  • Think of a woodpecker’s skull and beak, the protective way a fish’s scales overlap, or the thick rind that keeps a falling fruit from breaking open.
    — Nathan Hurst, Smithsonian, 14 June 2017
  • But we were distracted by a Nuttall’s woodpecker that was hard to miss.
    — The New York Times Elaine Chen Emily Anthes, New York Times, 18 May 2023
  • In a corner, an American three-toed woodpecker sits in a tree.
    — James F. Lee, Washington Post, 7 July 2022
  • There are mule deer and white-tailed deer with translucent ears at dawn, a fox in the carport, a woodpecker metronoming the mesquite tree all day, mourning doves, owls by night.
    — Anna Badkhen, Harper’s Magazine , 28 Sep. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'woodpecker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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