shorebird

noun shore·bird \ ˈshȯr-ˌbərd \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

Definition of shorebird

: any of a suborder (Charadrii) of birds (such as a plover or sandpiper) that frequent the seashore

Recent Examples of shorebird from the Web

Clark is tall and spindly and moves in a hoppy, twitchy way, like a shorebird.

— naomi fry, The New Yorker, "The Mind-Expanding Ideas of Andy Clark," 26 Mar. 2018
On land, predators ranging from raccoons to rats to shorebirds dine on the snack-sized fish.

— deborah sullivan brennan, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Fish out of water: grunion runs launch on San Diego beaches," 15 Mar. 2018
We were parked on the wildlife drive in the coastal wetlands of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife refuge, in Galloway Township, N.J., in one of the most active flyways for migrating ducks and shorebirds each fall and spring.

— elizabeth fletcher, Philly.com, "Personal Journey: Snowy Owl hotspot in N.J. at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge," 9 Mar. 2018
But the Stikine River delta, which is accessible from Wrangell by jetboat, is a great place to spy millions of migratory shorebirds.

— scott mcmurren, Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska’s spring festivals make great getaway trips from Anchorage," 4 Mar. 2018
Ann Zaniewski / Detroit Free Press Wochit The Great Lakes Nature Center will be home to live native species of Great Lakes fish, amphibians, reptiles, turtles, small mammals, shorebirds, birds of prey and butterflies, among others, the zoo said.

— christina hall, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Zoo to build $10M Great Lakes Nature Center in Macomb County," 13 Feb. 2018
Alternatively, bring your own boat or hop on a Zodiak tour to spot spouting whales and curious shorebirds along the way.

— Sunset, "Top 5 Hot Springs Experiences in the West," 22 Jan. 2018
Rail Picnic Site: The first parking area provides access to a boat launch, fishing pier and the Rail Picnic site, named after a shorebird.

— tom stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, "Sunday getaway to Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline," 14 Jan. 2018
Other prehistoric animals that dropped off the face of the Earth around that time were species of crocodiles, turtles, and several birds, like ancient flamingo-like palaelodids, swiftlets, pigeons, parrots, and shorebirds.

— gavin mouldey, National Geographic, "Extinct Burrowing Bat Discovered, and It Was Giant," 11 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shorebird.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.