Usually, watchful waiting is an outpatient process and may have a duration of months or years. In contrast, medical observation is usually an inpatient process, often involving frequent or even continuous monitoring and may have a duration of hours or days. 1 Medical uses.
Shearwaters earned their name by their ability to cut - or shear - the water with their wings, although until recently they were known as 'muttonbirds'. This name was given to them by early European settlers, who killed the birds for food and found that their flesh tasted like mutton.
The male birds (drakes) have a glossy green head and are grey on wings and belly, while the females (hens or ducks) have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Both sexes have an area of white-bordered black speculum feathers which commonly also include iridescent blue feathers especially among males. Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are social animals preferring to congregate in groups or flocks of varying sizes.