boatbill in British English
(ˈbəʊtˌbɪl) or boat-billed heron
noun
a nocturnal tropical American wading bird, Cochlearius cochlearius, similar to the night herons but with a broad flattened bill: family Ardeidae, order Ciconiiformes
boatbill in American English
(ˈboutˌbɪl)
noun
a wading bird, Cochlearius cochlearius, of tropical America, related to the herons, having a broad bill resembling an inverted boat
Also called: boat-billed heron (ˈboutˌbɪld) Word origin
[1770–80; boat + bill2]This word is first recorded in the period 1770–80. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: charade, colonial, embed, parka, red flagImage ofboatbill
© Eric Isselee, shutterstock