game bird

American  

noun

1. any bird hunted chiefly for sport, as a quail or pheasant, especially such a bird that is protected by game laws.

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game bird British  

noun

1. a bird of any species hunted as game

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Etymology

Origin of game bird

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

RZSS, which runs a wildlife park nearby, used cage-type traps baited with venison and quail, a small game bird, to capture the cats.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2025

Other authors on the paper include Lisa Williams, wildlife biologist; Kenneth Duren, game bird section supervisor; and Reina Tyl, wildlife biologist, all at the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

From Science Daily • Oct. 4, 2023

The prosecution originally charged him with three counts, but the third count — leaving a game bird in his possession to go to waste through carelessness and neglect — was dismissed, according to court documents.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2023

Zebari hunted the kaw, or chukar partridge, a game bird with zebra flanks that is an unofficial national bird of Kurdistan, prized for its song and meat.

From New York Times • Apr. 20, 2022

Animals that on the whole are decidedly beneficial, since they subsist upon harmful insects and rodents, are habitually destroyed by some farmers and sportsmen because they occasionally kill a chicken or a game bird.

From House Rats and Mice Farmers' Bulletin 896 by Lantz, David E.