any of numerous climbing birds of the family Picidae, having a hard, chisellike bill that it hammers repeatedly into wood in search of insects, stiff tail feathers to assist in climbing, and usually more or less boldly patterned plumage.
wood·peck·er (wŏŏd'pěk'ər) n. Any of various usually brightly colored birds of the family Picidae, having strong claws and a stiff tail adapted for clinging to and climbing trees and a chisellike bill for drilling through bark and wood. Also called regionally peckerwood.