Though the Greek term can denote any bird, in New Testament usage it specifically means a hen. Both occurrences appear in identical sayings where Jesus laments over Jerusalem, wishing to gather the city's children 'as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.' The image is maternal, protective, and poignant—domestic poultry protecting vulnerable young from predators. Classical literature uses the word broadly for birds, with gender sometimes ambiguous, but the New Testament context makes the reference to a mother hen unmistakable.