Cryptic crossword clue
Waders nipped small sea birds 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word BITTERNS

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
B
I
T
T
E
R
N
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Waders" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case waders = bitterns.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does BITTERNS mean?

BITTERNS noun
  1. Several bird species in the Botaurinae subfamily of the heron family Ardeidae.

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