corncrake

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a secretive migratory rail that breeds in European and western Asian meadows and has a rasping repeated call

   At dusk, a corncrake called from the unmown meadow without showing itself.

Formed from corn, once used broadly for cereal crops, + crake, an imitative bird name referring to its harsh call. The bird often nested in hayfields and grain fields, although it is not closely tied to maize.

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