Woodpecker, any of about 180 species of birds that constitute the subfamily Picinae (true woodpeckers) of the family Picidae (order Piciformes), noted for probing for insects in tree bark and for chiseling nest holes in deadwood. Woodpeckers occur nearly worldwide, except in the region of Australia and New Guinea, but are most abundant in South America and Southeast Asia.
Most woodpeckers spend their entire lives in trees, spiraling up the trunks in search of insects; only the few ground-feeding forms are capable of perching on horizontal branches, as passerine birds do. Most woodpeckers eat insects, but some (especially Melanerpes species) feed on fruits and berries, and sapsuckers regularly feed on sap from certain trees in some seasons. In spring the loud calls of woodpeckers, often augmented by drumming on hollow wood or occasionally on metal, are the sounds of males holding territories; at other seasons woodpeckers are usually silent. Most are not social, tending rather to be solitary or to travel in pairs.
