willet

willet
/wil"it/, n., pl. willets, (esp. collectively) willet.
a large, eastern North American shorebird, Catoptrophorus semipalmatus, having a striking black and white wing pattern.
[1700-10, Amer.; short for pill-will-willet, conventional imit. of its cry]

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▪ bird
      (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus), large, long-billed shorebird of America, belonging to the family Scolopacidae (order Charadriiformes), which also includes the snipes, turnstones, and curlews. The willet is named for its loud call. Willets are about 40 centimetres (16 inches) long and gray, with striking black and white wings. With the wings closed, they resemble the greater yellowlegs. Once a declining species, willets have revived under protection of their breeding places, around ponds, from southwestern Canada to Colorado and south to Mexico, and from Nova Scotia to Florida and the West Indies. In winter, willets are found on seacoasts from California and the Carolinas to Peru and French Guiana.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • Willet — ist der Name dreier Ortschaften in den Vereinigten Staaten: Willet (Mississippi), eine Ortschaft im Washington County, im US Bundesstaat Mississippi Willet (New York), eine Ortschaft im Cortland County, im US Bundesstaat New York Willet… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • willet — ☆ willet [wil′it ] n. pl. willets or willet [echoic of its cry] a large, gray and white, long legged shorebird (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus) of the same family (Scolopacidae) as snipe and sandpipers, living along shallow shores, marshes, etc. of… …   English World dictionary

  • Willet — Taxobox name = Willet status = LC | status system = IUCN3.1 image width = 256px regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Charadriiformes familia = Scolopacidae genus = Tringa species = T. semipalmata species authority = binomial …   Wikipedia

  • willet — noun (plural willets; also willet) Etymology: imitative Date: 1791 a large American shorebird (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus) of the sandpiper family that resembles the greater yellowlegs but has a thicker bill and gray legs and that displays a… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • willet — [ wɪlɪt] noun (plural same or willets) a large North American sandpiper. [Catoptrophorus semipalmatus.] Origin C19: imitative of its call, pill will willet …   English new terms dictionary

  • willet — wil•let [[t]ˈwɪl ɪt[/t]] n. pl. lets, (esp. collectively) let. orn a large North American sandpiper, Catoptrophorus semipalmatus, with a striking black and white wing pattern • Etymology: 1700–10, amer.; short for pill will willet, conventional… …   From formal English to slang

  • willet — /ˈwɪlət/ (say wiluht) noun a large North American semipalmate shorebird, Catoptrophorus semipalmatus, with striking black and white wing pattern. {shortened form of pill will willet, imitative of cry of bird} …  

  • willet — didžiasnapiai tilvikai statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Catoptrophorus angl. willet vok. Schlammtreter, m rus. перепончатопалый улит, m pranc. chevalier semipalmé, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – tulikai siauresnis terminas …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • willet — didžiasnapis tilvikas statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Catoptrophorus semipalmatus angl. willet vok. Schlammtreter, m rus. перепончатопалый улит, m pranc. chevalier semipalmé, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – didžiasnapiai… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

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