Picidae

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

European great spotted woodpecker

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Spider monkey swinging in a tree. (primate, jungle animal)

Why Do Animals Have Tails?

Common, or southern, cassowary (Casuarius casuarius).

8 Birds That Can’t Fly

Prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus) in mid-flight.

11 Questions About Birds Answered

animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.

Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World

Hungry Pelican waiting to be fed, beak open, Australia

Why Don’t Birds Have Teeth?

Discover

Small, white rat (genus Rattus) on a glass table. (rodent, laboratory, experiment)

Cruel and Unusual Punishments: 15 Types of Torture

Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

Ahura Mazda - relief of the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda at the ancient ruins of Persepolis in Iran. Also known as Ormazd Zoroastrianism,

Which Religion Is the Oldest?

Two chicks near an egg with a white background (poultry, chick, chickens, birds).

What Do Eggs Have to Do with Easter?

Lusitania sinking, illustration from The War of the Nations (New York), December 31, 1919. World War I, WWI. This image is one of three on the page. (See source file for the other two.)

7 of the World’s Deadliest Shipwrecks

Easter Procession of Maria Santisima del Sacromonte in Granada, Spain. This statue is known as Virgen de los Gitanos or The Virgin of the Gypsies.

What is Holy Week?

Titanic infographic. The 30th anniversary of its discovery is September 1, 2015. SPOTLIGHT VERSION.

Timeline of the Titanic’s Final Hours

Picidae: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos

European great spotted woodpecker

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Topics

woodpecker piculet wryneck flicker sapsucker Melanerpes ivory-billed woodpecker red-shafted flicker campos flicker great spotted woodpecker toucan barbet honey guide

Quiz

Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Animals, mammals.

Ultimate Animals Quiz

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

Animal Group Names

turkey vulture. vulture. Close-up of a head and beak of a Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura).

A Little Bird Told Me

Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)

Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz

vulture. An adult bearded vulture at a raptor recovery center. The Gypaetus barbatus also known as the Lammergeier or Lammergeyer, is a bird of prey and considered an Old World vulture.

Animal Factoids

Lion (panthera leo)

Deadliest Animals Quiz

pigeon. pigeon and dove. member of the order Columbiformes, family Columbidae

Ultimate Bird Trivia Quiz

Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)

Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz

List

animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.

Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World

Common, or southern, cassowary (Casuarius casuarius).

8 Birds That Can’t Fly

White-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) at Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. (birds)

15 of the Best Birdsongs (According to Britannica)

Prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus) in mid-flight.

11 Questions About Birds Answered

Demystified

Black-headed gulls perching on a roof with bird droppings, often seen in flocks around London, England, in winter time. The "black head" develops during the breeding season. (black headed, birds, guano, bird poop)

Do Birds Pee?