ˈshelˌdrāk noun
( plural sheldrakes also sheldrake )
Etymology: Middle English sheldedrake, sheldrake, from shelde-, sheld- (akin to Middle Dutch schillede particolored, variegated, piebald) + drake; akin to German schillern to be iridescent, and perhaps to Middle High German schilhen to wink, squint, Old English sceol wry, squinting — more at cylinder
1. : a duck of the Old World genus Tadorna ; especially : a common European duck ( T. tadorna ) that is slightly larger than the mallard, frequents coast regions and nests in burrows, and is chiefly black and white with the head and neck greenish, the lower breast broadly chestnut, the speculum green, and the bill with its frontal knob red
2. : merganser