SPOONBILL • FREE TRANSLATOR.ORG • Definition of Spoonbill

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noun

Spoonbill n. (Zool.)

(a)

Any one of several species of wading birds of the genera Ajaja and Platalea, and allied genera, in which the long bill is broadly expanded and flattened at the tip. Note: The roseate spoonbill of America (Ajaja ajaja), and the European spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) are the best known. The royal spoonbill (Platalea regia) of Australia is white, with the skin in front of the eyes naked and black. The male in the breeding season has a fine crest.

(b)

The shoveler. See Shoveler, 2.

(c)

The ruddy duck. See under Ruddy.

(d)

The paddlefish.

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Etymology of 'Spoonbill'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Spoonbill" Quotes from Famous Books

... may not be unacceptable. The scene lies principally in the villages of Neverden and Smatterton; and between their rectors Dr. Greendale and Mr. Darnley, and their families; the Earl of Smatterton, of Smatterton Hall; Lord Spoonbill, his son; Sir George Aimwell, of Neverden Hall; Penelope Primrose, the heroine, who is placed by her father under the care of Dr. Greendale, whilst Mr. Primrose seeks to repair his fortune in the Indies; and Robert Darnley, Penelope's ...

— The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, - Volume 12, No. 329, Saturday, August 30, 1828 • Various

... Flightless Duck of the Auckland Islands (genus Nesonetta) and the Blue Mountain Duck (Hymenolaemus). Among the most interesting of the non-endemic forms, are the Paradise Duck or Sheldrake (Casarca variegata), the Brown Duck (Anas chlorotis), the Shoveller or Spoonbill Duck (Rhynchaspis variegata), and the Scaup or ...

— A Dictionary of Austral English • Edward Morris

Words linked to "Spoonbill" : family Plataleidae, Platalea leucorodia, Plataleidae, common spoonbill, wading bird, roseate spoonbill, Ajaia ajaja, wader, spoonbill catfish