wading bird


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wad·ing bird

(wā′dĭng)
n.
A long-legged bird, such as a crane, heron, or stork, that frequents shallow water, especially in search of food. Also called wader.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

wad′ing bird`


n.
any of various long-legged, long-billed, and long-necked birds that wade in shallow waters for live food, as the crane, heron, ibis, stork, spoonbill, and flamingo.
[1840–50]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.wading bird - any of many long-legged birds that wade in water in search of foodwading bird - any of many long-legged birds that wade in water in search of food
wader
aquatic bird - wading and swimming and diving birds of either fresh or salt water
stork - large mostly Old World wading birds typically having white-and-black plumage
Balaeniceps rex, shoebill, shoebird - large stork-like bird of the valley of the White Nile with a broad bill suggesting a wooden shoe
ibis - wading birds of warm regions having long slender down-curved bills
spoonbill - wading birds having a long flat bill with a tip like a spoon
flamingo - large pink to scarlet web-footed wading bird with down-bent bill; inhabits brackish lakes
heron - grey or white wading bird with long neck and long legs and (usually) long bill
crane - large long-necked wading bird of marshes and plains in many parts of the world
Aramus guarauna, courlan - wading bird of South America and Central America
Aramus pictus, limpkin - wading bird of Florida, Cuba and Jamaica having a drooping bill and a distinctive wailing call
Cariama cristata, crested cariama, seriema - Brazilian Cariama; sole representative of the genus Cariama
chunga, Chunga burmeisteri, seriema - Argentinian Cariama
rail - any of numerous widely distributed small wading birds of the family Rallidae having short wings and very long toes for running on soft mud
bustard - large heavy-bodied chiefly terrestrial game bird capable of powerful swift flight; classified with wading birds but frequents grassy steppes
bustard quail, button quail, button-quail, hemipode - small quail-like terrestrial bird of southern Eurasia and northern Africa that lacks a hind toe; classified with wading birds but inhabits grassy plains
ortygan - any of several East Indian birds
Pedionomus torquatus, plain wanderer - small Australian bird related to the button quail; classified as wading bird but inhabits plains
trumpeter - large gregarious crane-like bird of the forests of South America having glossy black plumage and a loud prolonged cry; easily domesticated
limicoline bird, shore bird, shorebird - any of numerous wading birds that frequent mostly seashores and estuaries
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
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References in classic literature ?
Wading birds, which frequent the muddy edges of ponds, if suddenly flushed, would be the most likely to have muddy feet.
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Bird life was abundant, especially the wading birds, stork, heron, and ibis gathering in little groups, blue, scarlet, and white, upon every log which jutted from the bank, while beneath us the crystal water was alive with fish of every shape and color.
View in context
A RARE wading bird has nested on Anglesey more than two decades after a wildlife reserve was created specifically to lure it back to the island.
Booming Bittern's back after 32 years
TWO threatened species of wading bird have been seen in record numbers at Dove Stone in the Peak District, a short drive from Holmfirth.
Threatened birds spotted on moors
Which wading bird produces a distinctive deep booming sound?
QUIZ OF THE DAY
Scientists have not spotted pythons on the islet since, but the species has real potential to harm wading bird rookeries, says Frank Mazzotti, a wildlife researcher at the University of Florida.
The price of a feather
Dubai After 30 years of searching for a rare large wading bird, researchers in Abu Dhabi have finally found a Great Thick-knee.
30 years' hard work pays off with sighting of rare bird
Great White Egret: A wading bird, most commonly found in the tropical and warmer climates of New Zealand and North America.
Rare birds which drop in on the UK
Fragmentary fossils of Gansus yumenensis collected earlier had suggested that it was a wading bird similar to today's sandpipers, says Jerald D.
Ancient webbed masters
(REAL THREAT) Changes in the Everglades' water supply have shrunk the wading bird's feeding and nesting grounds.
Can you save my backyard? Fourteen-year-old Aaron Carter is a pop sensation with best-selling CDs like Oh Aaron and Another Earthquake! But he also helps conservationists spread the word to protect one of Earth's most invaluable resources. (Earth/life science: conservation/wetlands)
Because prey fish generally move to shallow water to avoid swimming predators, that behavior could increase their risk of predation to terrestrial (i.e., wading bird) predators.
Nonadditive effects of terrestrial and aquatic predators on juvenile estuarine fish
A happy African wading bird with long legs and long toes, a Jay given to kidding around, a green tropical insectivorous bird with iridescent feathers, and a fancy tropical stork crowd together; a group of misfits in close proximity.
Jabberwocky

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