'Sheldrake' definitions:

Definition of 'sheldrake'

noun

Large crested fish-eating diving duck having a slender hooked bill with serrated edges [syn: merganser, fish duck, sawbill, sheldrake]

noun

Old World gooselike duck slightly larger than a mallard with variegated mostly black-and-white plumage and a red bill

From: GCIDE

Sheldrake \Shel"drake`\, n. [Sheld + drake.]
1. (Zool.) Any one of several species of large Old World ducks of the genus Tadorna and allied genera, especially the European and Asiatic species. (Tadorna cornuta syn. Tadorna tadorna), which somewhat resembles a goose in form and habit, but breeds in burrows. [1913 Webster]
Note: It has the head and neck greenish black, the breast, sides, and forward part of the back brown, the shoulders and middle of belly black, the speculum green, and the bill and frontal bright red. Called also shelduck, shellduck, sheldfowl, skeelduck, bergander, burrow duck, and links goose. [1913 Webster]
Note: The Australian sheldrake (Tadorna radja) has the head, neck, breast, flanks, and wing coverts white, the upper part of the back and a band on the breast deep chestnut, and the back and tail black. The chestnut sheldrake of Australia (Casarca tadornoides) is varied with black and chestnut, and has a dark green head and neck. The ruddy sheldrake, or Braminy duck (Casarca rutila), and the white-winged sheldrake (Casarca leucoptera), are related Asiatic species. [1913 Webster]
2. Any one of the American mergansers. [1913 Webster]
Note: The name is also loosely applied to other ducks, as the canvasback, and the shoveler. [1913 Webster]

From: GCIDE

Merganser \Mer*gan"ser\, n. [Sp. merg['a]nsar, fr. mergo a diver (L. mergus, fr. mergere to dip, dive) + ['a]nsar goose, L. anser.] (Zool.) Any bird of the genus Mergus (Merganser), and allied genera of the subfamily Merginae. They are allied to the ducks, but have a sharply serrated bill, eat fish, and dive for food. Also called fish duck. [1913 Webster +PJC]
Note: The red-breasted merganser (Merganser serrator) inhabits both hemispheres. It is called also sawbill, harle, and sheldrake. The American merganser (Merganser Americanus.) and the hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) are well-known species.
White merganser, the smew or white nun. [1913 Webster]

From: GCIDE

Goosander \Goos"an`der\, n. [OE. gossander, a tautological word formed fr. goose + gander. Cf. Merganser.] (Zool.) A species of merganser (M. merganser) of Northern Europe and America; -- called also merganser, dundiver, sawbill, sawneb, shelduck, and sheldrake. See Merganser. [1913 Webster]