heath hen

English

Model of a heath hen (†Tympanuchus cupido cupido)

Noun

heath hen (plural heath hens)

A female black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix).
Coordinate term: heath cock
- 1728, James Thomson, “Spring”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC:
  The Heath-Hen flutters, (pious Fraud!) to lead / The hot pursuing Spaniel far astray.
Any of an extinct subspecies of grouse that once lived in North America (†Tympanuchus cupido cupido).

References

heath hen on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Tympanuchus cupido cupido on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
Tympanuchus cupido cupido on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.