red-shouldered hawk

1 8.6

A medium-sized North American bird of prey with reddish shoulders that lives in woods near water

noun
/ˈrɛdˈʃoʊldərd hɔk/

Specialized

: halcón de hombros rojos

We spotted a red-shouldered hawk perched high in the maple tree near the river.

Examples

During our birdwatching trip, we saw a red-shouldered hawk gliding effortlessly through the trees.
A red-shouldered hawk soared overhead, its rufous shoulders catching the afternoon light.
The distinct call of the red-shouldered hawk is often heard in wooded areas of North America.
The red-shouldered hawk perched on a branch.
Many red-shouldered hawks migrate south in the winter.
While hiking in the forest, we spotted a majestic red-shouldered hawk perched on a branch.
The red-shouldered hawk swooped down to catch a small rodent near the riverbank.

Synonyms

Buteo lineatus

vsred-shouldered hawk

Specialized

9.9

A North American hawk with reddish brown shoulders and a loud call

is the common name used in everyday descriptions

Surface Forms

red-shouldered hawk singular

red-shouldered hawks plural

Morphology

red-shouldered + hawk

The noun is a straightforward adjective+noun composition: 'red-shouldered' means 'having red shoulders' (derivable from 'red' + 'shoulder') and 'hawk' is a bird of prey, so a learner who knows the parts can infer it denotes a hawk with reddish shoulders. This follows a common, cross-linguistic modifier + noun pattern and is therefore directly comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Red-shouldered hawk simply describes the bird. Red shows its color and shouldered points to the reddish area on its shoulders. So the name means 'a hawk with reddish-brown shoulders'.