shorebird

[ shawr-burd, shohr- ]

noun

a bird that frequents seashores, estuaries, etc., as the snipe, sandpiper, plover, and turnstone; a limicoline bird.

Origin of shorebird

First recorded in 1665–75; shore¹ + bird

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use shorebird in a sentence

The long black lines of birds undulating in their flight can readily be distinguished from any other shore bird.
Life Histories of North American Shore Birds, Part 1 (of 2) | Arthur Cleveland Bent
Only one other shore bird is resident with us throughout the year; this is the oyster-catcher.
Poachers and Poaching | John Watson
On May 15, no shore bird was seen on a trip along several beaches.
The Avifauna of Micronesia, Volume 3 | Rollin H. Baker
It is the tamest and most unsuspicious shore bird I have ever seen.
Life Histories of North American Shore Birds, Part 1 (of 2) | Arthur Cleveland Bent
On the other hand, the shore-bird hunter knows not the abiding place of his game.
Fishing and Shooting Sketches | Grover Cleveland

British Dictionary definitions for shore bird

shore bird

noun

any of various birds that live close to water, esp any bird of the families Charadriidae or Scolopacidae (plovers, sandpipers, etc): Also called (Brit): wader

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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