ERNE or ERN /urn/ n. a predatory sea-bird, especially the white-tailed eagle

Today’s word appears in crosswords in both variants, ern and erne, and is usually clued in a straightforward way, such as [Sea eagle], [Coastal bird], or [Cousin of the bald eagle].

It does, however, often pay to know that a bird of prey is sometimes referred to as a RAPTOR, as in [Raptor of the sea] or [Raptorial seabird].

By the way, while investigating this word I discovered a rather handsome Scrabbly extension you might enjoy: VELOCIRAPTOR, a fierce predatory dinosaur. Not bad huh?