woodcock

[wood-kok]

noun

plural

woodcocks ,

plural

woodcock .

1. either of two plump, short-legged migratory game birds of variegated brown plumage, the Eurasian Scolopax rusticola and the smaller American Philohela minor.

2. any of various pileated or ivory-billed woodpeckers.

3. Archaic.,  a simpleton.

woodcock

/ ˈwʊdˌkɒk /

noun

1. an Old World game bird, Scolopax rusticola, resembling the snipe but larger and having shorter legs and neck: family Scolopacidae (sandpipers, etc), order Charadriiformes

2. a related North American bird, Philohela minor

3. obsolete,  a simpleton

Word History and Origins

Origin of woodcock¹

before 1050; Middle English wodecok, Old English wuducoc. See wood ¹, cock ¹

Example Sentences

"There are many records of woodcock males singing along their migration routes, which has always been a mystery because it's energetically expensive," said Slezak.

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It was hoped species such as lapwing, redshank and woodcock would find a haven in the wet woodland, while otters and water voles would use the restored network of waterways as corridors and breeding habitat.

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In the spring and the fall, the American woodcock often makes an appearance.

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A bird conservation charity said it had been locked out of its Twitter account for eight days after posting several tweets about woodcock.

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They concluded the woodcock gets its brilliance from the microscopic structure of tiny barbs arranged in parallel like window blinds, increasing the feathers’ reflective surface area.

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