chough Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun a European corvine bird of small or medium size with red legs and glossy black plumage

OE. choughe, kowe (and cf. OE. ca), fr. AS. ceó; cf. also D. kauw, OHG. chaha; perh. akin to E. caw. *22. Cf. Caddow.

(Zoöl.) A bird of the Crow family (Fregilus graculus) of Europe. It is of a black color, with a long, slender, curved bill and red legs; -- also called chauk, chauk-daw, chocard, Cornish chough, red-legged crow. The name is also applied to several allied birds, as the Alpine chough.