Definition of "willet" [wil•let]

• A large grayish shore bird (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus) of North America, having black wings with a broad white stripe. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "This bird is currently classified as a sister subspecies along with the western willet, T. s. inornatus."
• "Response: This is an adult eastern willet, Tringa s. semipalmata, which has just arrived on its breeding grounds."
• "Eastern Willet, Tringa s. semipalmata synonym; Catoptrophorus semipalmatus, formerly; Symphemia semipalmata, protonym; Scolopax semipalmata, also known as the semipalmated tattler or simply as the willet, photographed at Bolivar Peninsula, Texas, USA."