The Collaborative International Dictionary
Chaparral hen
Chaparral \Cha`par*ral"\, n. [Sp., fr. chaparro an evergeen oak.]
A thicket of low evergreen oaks.
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An almost impenetrable thicket or succession of thickets of thorny shrubs and brambles.
Chaparral cock; fem. Chaparral hen (Zo["o]l.), a bird of the cuckoo family ( Geococcyx Californianus), noted for running with great speed. It ranges from California to Mexico and eastward to Texas; -- called also road runner, ground cuckoo, churea, and snake killer. It is the state bird of New Mexico.