hairy woodpecker

noun

1. a North American woodpecker, Picoides villosus, resembling but larger than the downy woodpecker.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hairy woodpecker¹

An Americanism dating back to 1720–30

Example Sentences

He points out a hairy woodpecker pounding away at a snag.

From Seattle Times

A photo caption that accompanied an image with the article misidentified a downy woodpecker as a hairy woodpecker, and a group of bright yellow finches or vireos was referred to only as “birds.”

From Washington Post

Also, a downy woodpecker was incorrectly identified as a hairy woodpecker.

From Washington Post

Among the species he reported seeing were the hairy woodpecker, downy woodpecker, black-capped chickadee, red breasted nuthatch, white breasted nuthatch and red-bellied woodpecker.

From Washington Times

One challenge was to discern the hairy woodpecker from its doppelganger, the downy woodpecker.

From Washington Post