wildfowl

American  

[wahyld-foul] / ˈwaɪldˌfaʊl /

noun

1. a game bird, especially a wild duck, goose, or swan.

---

wildfowl British  

/ ˈwaɪldˌfaʊl /

noun

1. any bird that is hunted by man, esp any duck or similar aquatic bird

2. such birds collectively

---

Other Word Forms

• wildfowler noun
• wildfowling adjective

Etymology

Origin of wildfowl

before 1000; Middle English wilde foul, Old English wildefugl. See wild, fowl

Example Sentences

The 64-year-old has a particular penchant for wildfowl shooting in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

The parliamentary petition was launched by Danni Rogers from Camberley in Surrey, who is a volunteer at Shepperton Swan Sanctuary, following fatal attacks on wildfowl.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2025

Jim Edwards told the Toronto paper that his father had 20/20 eyesight and had been a crack marksman as a youth when he used to shoot duck and other wildfowl on the prairies of Saskatchewan.

From Washington Post • May 21, 2022

Higher concentrations of certain nitrogen isotopes are a sign of a diet rich in animals that have a relatively high place in the food web — such as wildfowl and freshwater fish.

From Scientific American • Aug. 18, 2014

There was no sound at last but the wildfowl, far away on the lake, beginning their sunset chaunt.

From Barnaby A Novel by Ramsay, R.