This noun denotes a bird, likely a crane or swallow, though the exact species is debated. Isaiah 38:14 uses it alongside 'swallow' to describe Hezekiah's groaning in illness ('like a swallow or crane'), while Jeremiah 8:7 lists it among migratory birds that 'know their appointed times'—a rebuke to Israel who don't know God's ordinances. The bird's mournful cry or seasonal instinct provides prophetic imagery. Textual and etymological uncertainties persist, but the bird clearly represents either lamentation or natural obedience.