waterfowl

[waw-ter-foul, wot-er-]

noun, plural wa·ter·fowls, (especially collectively) wa·ter·fowl.

a water bird, especially a swimming bird.

such birds taken collectively, especially the swans, geese, and ducks.

Origin of waterfowl

1250–1300; Middle English; cognate with German Wasservogel; see water, fowl

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for waterfowl

Contemporary Examples of waterfowl

Wood pigeon, pheasant, partridge, grouse, peacocks, hares, wild rabbits, and waterfowl are all dietary staples.
Edible Taxidermy: It’s a Good Thing
Lizzie Crocker
August 5, 2014

Historical Examples of waterfowl

Other than waterfowl had chosen this secluded spot for their favourite dwelling-place.
The Quadroon
Mayne Reid
A shot at the waterfowl, therefore, could not be thought of.
The Plant Hunters
Mayne Reid
Ducks, geese, and other waterfowl, came in myriads with the spring.
Silver Lake
R.M. Ballantyne
Partridges can be caught with the hand and waterfowl are pursued with the kayak.
The Central Eskimo
Franz Boas
The waterfowl have begun to come more and more to the pond before the house.
Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan
Various

British Dictionary definitions for waterfowl

waterfowl

noun

any aquatic freshwater bird, esp any species of the family Anatidae (ducks, geese, and swans)

such birds collectively

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

Word Origin and History for waterfowl

c.1300, from water (n.1) + fowl (n.). Cf. Old High German wazzarvogel, Dutch watervogel.