What is another word for sheldrakes?

Pronunciation: [ʃˈɛldɹe͡ɪks] (IPA)

Sheldrakes are a type of waterfowl commonly found near freshwater lakes and rivers. Some synonyms for this word include mergansers, goosanders, and sawbills. Mergansers are similar to sheldrakes in appearance, but are typically smaller and more streamlined. Goosanders, on the other hand, are larger and have a distinctive white wing patch. Sawbills, also known as fish ducks, have a serrated edge on their bill which they use to catch fish. All of these birds belong to the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans. Sheldrakes and their synonyms are popular among birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts.

Usage examples for Sheldrakes

Paddling along the eastern side of the lake in the still of the morning, we soon saw a few sheldrakes, which the Indian called Shecorways, and some peetweets on the rocky shore.
"Canoeing in the wilderness"
Henry David Thoreau
After perhaps two miles of river we entered Heron Lake, scaring up forty or fifty young sheldrakes, at the entrance, which ran over the water with great rapidity, as usual in a long line.
"Canoeing in the wilderness"
Henry David Thoreau
Swiftly as the shallow and rocky river ran here, a continuous rapid with dancing waves, I saw, as I sat on the shore, a long string of sheldrakes, which something scared, run up the opposite side of the stream by me, just touching the surface of the waves, and getting an impulse from them as they flowed from under them; but they soon came back, driven by the Indian, who had fallen a little behind us on account of the windings.
"Canoeing in the wilderness"
Henry David Thoreau

Famous quotes with Sheldrakes

  • As in hunting, so in hawking, the sportsmen had their peculiar impressions, and therefore the tyro in the art of falconry is recommended to learn the following arrangement of terms as they were to be applied to the different kinds of birds assembled in companies. A sege of herons, and of bitterns; an herd of swans, of cranes, and of curlews; a dopping of sheldrakes; a spring of teels; a covert of cootes; a gaggle of geese; a badelynge of ducks; a sord or sute of mallards; a muster of peacoccks; a nye of pheasants; a bevy of quails; a covey of partridges; a congregation of plovers; a flight of doves; a dule of turtles; a walk of snipes; a fall of woodcocks; a brood of hens; a building of rooks; a murmuration of starlings; an exaltation of larks; a flight of swallows; a host of sparrows; a watch of nightingales; and a charm of goldfinches.
    Joseph Strutt

Word of the Day

Chases sign
The term "Chases sign" refers to a linguistic phenomenon known as synonymy, wherein multiple words or phrases are used interchangeably to convey a similar meaning. Synonyms for "Ch...