noun
- small pellets of lead or steel used in shotgun shells for hunting birds and small game
Usage: hunting; firearms
Examples
- The hunter loaded his shotgun with birdshot before heading into the field.
- Birdshot is smaller than buckshot and designed for hunting waterfowl.
- The veterinarian carefully removed the birdshot from the injured duck’s wing.
- Different sizes of birdshot are used depending on the type of bird being hunted.
- The shotgun shell was filled with number 6 birdshot.
- Birdshot spreads in a wide pattern when fired from a shotgun.