waterfowl

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a duck, goose, swan, or other bird that lives or feeds chiefly on or near water; such birds collectively

   Migrating waterfowl rested on the lake before continuing south.

From Middle English waterfoul, a compound of water + fowl. Fowl once had the broad sense of bird, so the compound literally means a bird associated with water.

Topics