wading bird

noun

: any of an order (Ciconiiformes) of long-legged birds (such as herons, bitterns, storks, and ibises) that wade in water in search of food

Examples of wading bird in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The park is also a great spot to see wading birds such as herons, egrets and ibis. Emma Janssen, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2024 Less rain also concentrates wildlife at watering holes, boosting your odds of spotting the Everglades’ iconic alligators and wading birds like the bright-pink roseate spoonbill. Sarah L. Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 19 Oct. 2023 The trails running through Sea Pines Forest Preserve are particularly pretty and include wetland boardwalks over marshes full of wading birds, scenic bridges, and places to stop for a picnic or toss out a fishing line from a dock. Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 26 Aug. 2023 Wood storks are long-legged, wading birds that can stand more than 4-feet tall when fully-grown. Drew Kann, ajc, 18 Sep. 2023 Flamingos, a wading bird, are the last species bird watchers would have predicted. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2023 Native to Florida, historians say they were decimated by the plume trade in the late 1800s and early 1900s, like many wading birds, but have been seen more often in recent decades. Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 4 Sep. 2023 The 2-year-old sniffer dogs are the latest weapons in the battle against the destructive Burmese python, an exotic constrictor that’s devouring entire populations of small mammals, raiding wading bird nests and disrupting the natural balance of predator and prey. sun-sentinel.com, 11 Mar. 2021 Nearby, visit Rainbow Springs State Park to swim in crystal-clear spring-fed waters or paddle a canoe on the river to spot wading birds, turtles, and perhaps alligators, too. Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 19 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wading bird.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wading bird was in 1840

Dictionary Entries Near wading bird

Cite this Entry

“Wading bird.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wading%20bird. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wading bird

noun
: any of various long-legged birds (as herons, storks, and ibises) that wade in water in search of food

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