sharp-shinned hawk

[ shahrp-shind ]

noun

1. a North American hawk, Accipiter striatus, having extremely slender legs, a bluish-gray back, and a white, rusty-barred breast.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sharp-shinned hawk¹

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15

Example Sentences

A sharp-shinned hawk swooped from one branch to another and stared me down.

From Slate

“There is a sharp-shinned hawk coming our way,” announced William Kaselow, a naturalist with the Cape May Bird Observatory.

From Washington Post

The sharp-shinned hawk is one of more than a dozen raptor species that fly south for the winter.

From Washington Post

At the moment he has two - a 16-year-old goshawk named Cully and a 5-year-old sharp-shinned hawk named Tink - that he keeps on the farm near Tangent where he lives with his wife, Lisa.

From Washington Times

All accipiters, including the sharp-shinned hawk, and its close relative the Cooper’s hawk, have distinctive flight patterns that are useful in identifying them, even at a distance.

From New York Times