Definition of "dowitcher" [dow•itch•er]

• Either of two shore birds (Limnodromus griseus or L. scolopaceus) of northern regions, having brownish plumage and a long, straight bill. (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.

• "While 20 species occur regularly along the sand flats and mud flats of the estuary, four species, the willet, dowitcher, western sandpiper and marbled godwit, account for a large part of the bird population throughout the year."
• "This area is important for waders, including the Asian dowitcher Limnodromus semipalmatus (R), a rare winter migrant."
• "W.od-duck, bob white, woodcock, golden plover, Hudsonian curlew, knot and dowitcher [are threatened with extinction.] -- (C.W. Nash, Toronto.)"