marsh harrier
- noun
- /mɑrʃ ˈhɛrɪər/
- UK
:
aguilucho de los pantanos
- During spring, the marsh harrier can often be seen nesting in the tall reeds by the lake.
Examples
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Birdwatchers gathered at the marsh to catch a glimpse of the elusive marsh harrier hunting for prey.
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The marsh harrier is a bird of prey that makes its home over fields and reed beds.
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So, I like to say my favorite animal is the marsh harrier because of its magnificent and unique sky-dancing antics.
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High-flying black kites and ground-skimming marsh harriers searched for dead or dying fish.
Fiction book (1990) -
The marsh harrier glided gracefully over the wetland, searching for its next meal.
Synonyms
1
8.1
A hawk that hunts small animals over marshes and fields
A large hawk-like bird that hunts over marshes in Europe, Asia, and northern Africa
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning ('a harrier associated with marshes') is directly and compositionally derived from 'marsh' (wetland) + 'harrier' (a type of raptor), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a bird of prey living in marshy areas. This noun–noun compound pattern is common and cross-linguistically regular, supporting immediate comprehensibility.
Etymology
Marsh harrier gives a clear picture: a hunting bird that lives in the marsh and flies low over the reeds. The word harrier may come from an old word meaning 'to chase', so the full name tells us it is a marsh bird that chases small animals there.