# carrancha

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. The Brazilian kite (Polyborus brasiliensis).

## Etymology
Apparently first attested in English in 1839, in the writings of Darwin, and usually said to be from a native name imitating the bird's cry. However, compare dialectal Spanish carrancha (“dog collar with spikes”) (from *carrancula), a form of carlanca (metathesized from *carcannula, from Late Latin carcannum): the birds' coloration does sometimes resemble a collar.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/carrancha