Green woodpecker - OE *speot

Place-names are the only record of this possible name for the green woodpecker. The suffix of Middle English wodspek presumably derives from Old English *speot, which name is at least supported by a record of Old Saxon ghronspeht.

Spettisbury (Dor)

Spexhall (Suff)

Sources (see ‘About’ page for the full bibliography): Watt, Cambridge Dictionary; Ekwall, Concise Oxford Dictionary.