birdshot

Etymology

bird + shot

noun

1. A small lead or steel shot, or ammunition, used in shotgun shells.
   In the first shooting, four of the teenagers were sitting on a porch and were peppered with birdshot from a shotgun fired from a passing car around 2:30 p.m., Sheriff John Rutherford said. May 2, 2007, The Associated Press, “Florida Six Wounded in Shootings”, in New York Times
2. A rifle or pistol cartridge containing small shot instead of a single larger projectile.