wading bird
1
3.6
- noun
- /ˈweɪdɪŋ bɜrd/
:
ave zancuda
- While strolling along the wetlands, we spotted several beautiful wading birds foraging for fish.
- other wading birds
Examples
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The effect has been a 90% decline in the number of wading birds that nest in the national park, the National Park Service's Ogden says.
Academic text (1994) -
These rare species and several more abundant wading birds and waterfowl species are highly valued by the public.
Academic text (2001) -
Although wading birds benefited, other bird species appear to have been hurt by the flood.
Academic text (1993) -
Most of the wading birds can be found at all of them, but some kinds of birds are more prevalent at one or another.
Academic text (2006) -
Once, white ibises made up most of the wading birds.
Academic text (1994) -
There are attractive wading birds, raptors, shore birds, and other tropical wildlife all over Florida.
Academic text (2006) -
While flamingos are considered wading birds, they are most closely related to grebes genetically.
Blog text (2) -
Flamingos are a type of wading bird in the genus Phoenicopterus, from Greek meaning 'purple wing.'
Blog text (2) -
The Everglades were best known for herons, ibises, wood storks, spoonbills, and various other wading birds whose flocks could number in the thousands.
Academic text (1994) -
In the early morning, the wading birds could be seen standing still in the shallow water, waiting for their next meal.
Synonyms
3
3.7
A bird that lives by the sea and searches mud or sand for food
1
4.0
A bird that walks in shallow water to feed on beaches and river mouths
1
6.8
A long-legged bird like a heron that walks in shallow water to eat small animals
A bird that walks in shallow water at the sea edge to find food
How Tall
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'wading' (walking with feet in shallow water) modifies 'bird' (a bird), so 'wading bird' denotes a bird that wades. This follows a common noun–modifier pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Wading bird is a name from the clear image of a bird that wades, or 'walks in shallow water', on long legs while looking for food. That's why it means 'any long-legged bird that feeds in shallow water', like herons or storks.