A British colloquial name for the red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator), a diving duck with a serrated bill adapted for gripping fish. The 'saw' in the name refers directly to the tooth-like serrations along the edges of the beak, a useful anatomical identifier. Sawbill is also applied more broadly to other merganser species. Common enough in birdwatching circles as an informal alternative to the full name.
A sawbill was working the current near the weir, diving repeatedly and coming up empty.
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(UK) The red-breasted merganser.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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