'Harle' definitions:
Definition of 'Harle'
From: GCIDE
- Harle \Harle\ (h[aum]rl), n. (Zool.) The red-breasted merganser. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'harle'
From: GCIDE
- Merganser \Mer*gan"ser\, n. [Sp. merg['a]nsar, fr. mergo a diver (L. mergus, fr. mergere to dip, dive) + ['a]nsar goose, L. anser.] (Zool.) Any bird of the genus Mergus (Merganser), and allied genera of the subfamily Merginae. They are allied to the ducks, but have a sharply serrated bill, eat fish, and dive for food. Also called fish duck. [1913 Webster +PJC]
- Note: The red-breasted merganser (Merganser serrator) inhabits both hemispheres. It is called also sawbill, harle, and sheldrake. The American merganser (Merganser Americanus.) and the hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) are well-known species.
- White merganser, the smew or white nun. [1913 Webster]