A large, powerful hawk with short wings and a long tail, traditionally used in falconry and skilled at hunting in forests.
From Old English 'goeshafoc,' where 'gos' means 'goose' (the prey it hunts) and 'hafoc' means 'hawk,' literally describing it as a hawk that hunts geese.
Medieval hunters named this bird after what it hunts—a 'goose-hawk'—just like we might call a 'mouse-catcher,' and it became one of the most prized falconry birds because of its fierce, fearless hunting style.
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