dowitcher

[ dou-ich-er ]

noun

1. any of several long-billed, snipelike shore birds of North America and Asia, especially Limnodromus griseus.

dowitcher

/ ˈdaʊɪtʃə /

noun

1. either of two snipelike shore birds, Limnodromus griseus or L. scolopaceus, of arctic and subarctic North America: family Scolopacidae (sandpipers, etc), order Charadriiformes

Word History and Origins

Origin of dowitcher¹

1835–45, Americanism; perhaps < N Iroquoian; compare Mohawk tawístawis snipe

Word History and Origins

Origin of dowitcher¹

C19: of Iroquoian origin

Example Sentences

Nearby, long-billed dowitchers plunged their beaks into the muck in search of bugs.

From Seattle Times

A glance at its pages revealed a menagerie of birds that could have been named by Dr. Seuss: worm-eating warblers, short-billed dowitchers, lesser yellowlegs, northern parulas and yellow-billed cuckoos.

From Washington Post

He noticed flocks of long-billed dowitchers and American golden plovers gathering to migrate south without breeding.

From Scientific American

Feeding together in tight flocks for safety, plovers, dowitchers and sandpipers feed skittishly.

From New York Times

Some sandpiper groups sound like fancy Victorian musical instruments or board games: whimbrels and willets, dowitchers, dunlins, shanks, and tattlers.

From The Verge