fool hen

American  

noun

1. any of various grouse, as the spruce grouse, that can be killed easily because of their relative tameness.

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Etymology

Origin of fool hen

First recorded in 1750–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fool hen

This is another of the grouse family that has been given the name of "fool hen," on account of its naturally tame nature.

From Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast by Payne, Harry Thom

He followed the hunting, living chiefly on rabbits and that simple-minded species of partridge known as the "fool hen."

From Baree, Son of Kazan by Curwood, James Oliver

I guess that's why it's called the fool hen, though its proper name is the willow grouse.

From The Boy Ranchers of Puget Sound by Bindloss, Harold

It is naturally a confiding bird where it has not been hunted much, and for this reason has been given the name, "fool hen," in many localities.

From Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast by Payne, Harry Thom

Ptarmigan, wood-duck, sharp-tailed grouse, sage grouse, fool hen and plover.

From Our Vanishing Wild Life Its Extermination and Preservation by Hornaday, William Temple