chicken hawk
Noun: 1. A hawk that preys on poultry: A colloquial or non-technical term for any hawk species that is known or believed to hunt and eat domestic chickens and other barnyard fowl.
The term "chicken hawk" is used informally, often by farmers or in rural contexts, to describe hawks seen as a threat to small livestock. It is not a precise scientific classification but a general label based on observed behavior. * The farmer kept a watchful eye for the chicken hawk that had been taking his hens. * Many people mistakenly call any large bird of prey a chicken hawk.
- Figurative Use: In political slang, particularly in U.S. politics, "chicken hawk" is used as a derogatory term for a person who strongly advocates for war or military aggression but who themselves avoided military service when of age. This usage plays on the dual meaning of "chicken" (coward) and "hawk" (militarist).
- The journalist criticized the senator as a chicken hawk for pushing for the invasion despite having never served.
- Hen-hawk: A less common regional synonym for a hawk that preys on chickens.
- Accipiter: The genus that includes sharp-shinned hawks, Cooper's hawks, and goshawks—bird-eating hawks often called "chicken hawks."
- Buteo: The genus that includes red-tailed hawks and other large, broad-winged hawks sometimes accused of taking poultry.
- Bird of prey (general term)
- Raptor (general, more scientific term)
The term "chicken hawk" can refer to several different hawk species depending on the region, commonly including: 1. The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), a large, common hawk. 2. The Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii), a woodland hawk adept at catching birds. 3. The Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), a powerful forest hawk.
It is important to note that while these hawks may occasionally take free-range poultry, their primary diet typically consists of wild rodents, rabbits, and birds. The term often reflects perceived threat rather than primary dietary habit.
- nontechnical term for any hawks said to prey on poultry