Home › Words › W › waterfowlwaterfowlwaterfowl means any of the birds, such as ducks, geese and swans, that spend most of their non-flying time on water; especially those of the family Anatidae.EtymologyFrom Middle English waterfoul, water-foul, equivalent to water + fowl. Compare Old English dopfugel (“waterfowl, moorhen”, literally “dipping-fowl”).nounAny of the birds, such as ducks, geese and swans, that spend most of their non-flying time on water; especially those of the family Anatidae.Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).