hen harrier

American  

noun

British.

1. northern harrier.

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hen harrier British  

noun

1. US and Canadian names: marsh hawk.   marsh harrier.  a common harrier, Circus cyaneus, that flies over fields and marshes and nests in marshes and open land

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Etymology

Origin of hen harrier

First recorded in 1555–65

Example Sentences

Dingwall later admitted offences linked to an attempt to kill a protected hen harrier and was ordered to pay a fine of £1,520.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

"There's a jay ... That's a bluethroat ... Do you see the hen harrier? We're lucky," the 37-year-old photographer told AFP.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

Aside from curlew, they pose a threat to a number of native species including the Orkney vole, short-eared owl and hen harrier.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2025

That really annoyed me," Deller says with another smile, "so I thought I would do something with a giant hen harrier taking revenge on man, not Prince Harry necessarily, but man in general.

From The Guardian • Jun. 1, 2013

"Can you not see it's a harrier--a hen harrier?"

From The Pilots of Pomona by Leighton, Robert