noun

• A brown and grey aquatic Asian rail, the male of which develops black plumage and a red frontal shield in the breeding season.

  Gallicrex cinerea, family Rallidae

  ‘Birds caught in northern Bekasi for sale purposes are usually watercocks and egrets.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Indian blue-breasted banded rail, slatylegged banded crake, northern ruddy crake, whitebreasted waterhen, watercock, Indian moorhen, Indian purple moorhen are resident birds and can be seen on ponds, inundated paddy fields, etc.’
  • ‘Three poachers were caught red-handed trying to lure watercocks and yellow bitterns by using a recording of a bird's mating call here yesterday.’