melanerpes

[Pref. mel an-, and Gr. herpo = to creep.] Ornith.: The typical genus of the family Melanerpinse (q. v.). The colors are black, varied with white and red. The habits gregarious and migratory. In the Natural History Department of the British Museum at South Kensington there is a piece of bark in which Melanerpes formic i vor us (Red-headed Woodpecker) has made a hole, storing it with acorns for future use.