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duck hawk

American  

noun

  1. a peregrine falcon of the American subspecies Falco peregrinus anatum, noted for its especially swift flight.

duck hawk British  

noun

  1. a variety of peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus anatum, occurring in North America

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of duck hawk

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As far as she knew, the swiftest bird timed was a duck hawk which attained spurts of 180 m. p. h. pursuing prey.

From Time Magazine Archive

“She is a peregrine falcon, or a duck hawk, as these wonderful birds were once called. “She was late in migrating south this year and came over White Man Mountain on a chilly day.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

The fuzzy body rocked, the tail spread to steady it, and the little duck hawk almost sighed as she sank into the leaves, sleeping.

From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.