Advertisement

Advertisement

ivory-billed woodpecker

[ ahy-vuh-ree-bild wood-pek-er, ahy-vree- ]

noun

  1. a large, black and white woodpecker, Campephilus principalis, of the southern U.S. and Cuba, with a length of about 20 inches (51 centimeters), an ivory-colored bill that has a uniquely flattened tip, and a prominent crest that is mostly red on the males: dependent on the vast tracts of primeval hardwoods that were deforested with intensity from the mid-19th century, the ivory-billed woodpecker is now classified as possibly extinct.


Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of ivory-billed woodpecker1

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15

Discover More

Example Sentences

The logcock and the ivory-billed woodpecker have the longest tails—because they are the largest birds.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement