windhover

[ wind-huhv-er, -hov- ]

noun

1. the kestrel, Falco tinnunculus.

windhover

/ ˈwɪndˌhɒvə /

noun

1. a dialect name for a kestrel

Word History and Origins

Origin of windhover¹

1665–75; wind ¹ + hover; from its hovering flight, head to the wind

Example Sentences

As illustrating a remarkable quality of flight, the case of the kestrel or windhover may be taken.

From Project Gutenberg

The kestrel or windhover acts in quite a different fashion to the sparrow-hawk.

From Project Gutenberg

But the greatest of all exponents in the art of hovering is the kestrel, known also, for this very reason, as the “windhover.”

From Project Gutenberg