hen harrier

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a long-winged Eurasian bird of prey (Circus cyaneus) whose male is pale gray and whose female is brown; historically also a name for the closely related North American northern harrier

   A hen harrier flew low over the moor while searching for small prey.

A compound of hen and harrier. Harrier is an agent noun related to harry, 'to raid, ravage, or pursue,' describing the raptor's hunting. Hen harrier became the British name for Circus cyaneus; North American birds once treated as its subspecies are now generally called northern harriers (Circus hudsonius).

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