red-bellied woodpecker

noun

red-bel·lied woodpecker

: a woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) of the eastern U.S. that has a barred black-and-white back, grayish-tan underparts tinged with red on the belly, and a red crown and nape in the male and a red nape in the female

Fifty feet from the nest I'm watching, a larger red-bellied woodpecker lands at another hole.—

Dan Guynn, Jr.

Examples of red-bellied woodpecker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The songbirds most commonly affected include the American robin, blue jay, common grackle, yellowtail flicker, European starling, northern cardinal, house finch, house sparrow, Eastern bluebird, red-bellied woodpecker, and Carolina wren. —

courant.com, 10 Aug. 2021 By the way, this is an adult male red-bellied woodpecker. —

Teresa M. Hanafin, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Oct. 2022 The condition mostly affected songbirds, including the American robin, blue jay, common grackle, yellowtail flicker, European starling, northern cardinal, house finch, house sparrow, Eastern bluebird, red-bellied woodpecker, and Carolina wren, but had also spread to woodpeckers. —

Christopher Arnott, courant.com, 20 Aug. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1731, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of red-bellied woodpecker was in 1731

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“Red-bellied woodpecker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red-bellied%20woodpecker. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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