game bird
game bird — noun
1. a type of wild bird that hunters pursue for recreation and for its meat — common
a type of wild bird that hunters pursue for recreation and for its meat — common examples are pheasants, grouse, and quail
Apinya's father takes her pheasant hunting every autumn — pheasants are a popular game bird in many parts of Europe.
countable noun used for a category of birds
The restaurant menu listed several game bird dishes, including roasted quail and braised duck.
Conservation groups keep careful records of how many game birds are taken each hunting season.
Esteban cleaned the game birds he had shot and prepared them for dinner.
Yael roasted the pheasant she had bagged and served it to her relatives on Christmas Eve.
Salma bought a special hunting license that allows her to shoot game birds on protected land.
- wildfowl
more specific to water birds like ducks and geese
- upland bird
refers specifically to birds that live on dry ground, such as grouse and pheasant
- quarry
a more general term for any animal that is hunted, including birds; more technical
用法筆記
Often used as a plural countable noun (game birds) to refer to the category as a whole, though it can also refer to individual birds a hunter has shot.
常見錯誤
2. a bird species that the law allows people to hunt, typically during a specific s
a bird species that the law allows people to hunt, typically during a specific season and under conditions set by a government authority such as a U.S. state.
The state wildlife agency publishes a list of game birds that may be legally hunted this season.
legal/regulatory context: 'legally hunted'
Before the trip, Rachid checked which species counted as game birds under Montana state law.
David was fined for shooting a bird that was not classified as a game bird in that region.
Daichi compared Oregon's game bird regulations with the rules in his home state of Idaho.
Eliska studied the local hunting rules to confirm that the bird she saw was a legal game bird.
- legal quarry
more general term for any animal that may be legally hunted
- huntable species
emphasis on the species being open for hunting by law
- protected bird
a bird species that the law forbids people from hunting
用法筆記
Common in legal and regulatory documents. A bird may be a game bird in one state but not in another. Frequently paired with the adjective 'legal' or 'legal game bird'.