woodcock

American  

[wood-kok] / ˈwʊdˌkɒk /

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.

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woodcock British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of woodcock

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

Example Sentences

"A lot of birds probably can't do it because they don't have these lower reproductive costs that woodcock have evolved to do," he said.

From Science Daily • Apr. 19, 2024

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.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2024

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.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 21, 2022

Shapiro also unearthed a newsletter composed of reader-contributed reports on good local restaurants that specialized in dishes like “roast woodcock with herbs and white wine.”

From Slate • Jul. 12, 2017

The consequences of the sublethal poisoning of the woodcock are now seen in a marked decline in the proportion of young birds to adults, first observed in the season after fire ant treatments began.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson