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hawfinch

American  
[haw-finch] / ˈhɔˌfɪntʃ /

noun

  1. a European grosbeak, Coccothraustes coccothraustes.


hawfinch British  
/ ˈhɔːˌfɪntʃ /

noun

  1. an uncommon European finch, Coccothraustes coccothraustes, having a very stout bill and brown plumage with black-and-white wings

"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 hawfinch

First recorded in 1665–75; haw 1 + finch

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.

The hawfinch is very easily recognized by its distinct and beautiful colouring; it is a shy bird, and though it bred regularly at Aldington, we rarely saw it.

From Grain and Chaff from an English Manor by Savory, Arthur H.

Occasionally that shy bird, the hawfinch, is seen on a wet, quiet day picking up white-beam kernels and seeds.

From The Naturalist on the Thames by Cornish, C. J. (Charles John)

Of birds of passage, dormice, snakes, bats, swallows, quails, ringdoves, stare, chaffinch, hoopoe, chatterer, hawfinch, crossbill, rails and cranes.

From Zoonomia, Vol. I Or, the Laws of Organic Life by Darwin, Erasmus

The morphology of the head of the hawfinch.

From Jaw Musculature of the Mourning and White-winged Doves by Merz, Robert L.

The eggs are not unlike those of the English hawfinch; the ground colour is pale greenish grey, blotched and spotted with blackish brown.

From Birds of the Indian Hills by Dewar, Douglas