pika

[pahy-kuh] /ˈpaɪ kə/

noun

any of several small, brown to gray tailless mammals of the genus Ochotona, resembling rabbits with short ears and legs and inhabiting western mountains of North America and parts of eastern Europe and Asia.

Origin

1820-30; recorded by the German naturalist P.S. Pallas (1741-1811) as the name for the animal in Evenki; compare Evenki (N Baikal dial.) pikačān a name for the tree creeper (Certhia familiaris), apparently based on Russian píkatʾ to squeak, peep (compare Russian pishchúkha a name for both the tree creeper and the pika, which emits a shrill sound)

Examples from the web for pika

Unless you are an avid mountain hiker, you have probably never seen a pika.
Cony is a generic term used to describe many small rock-dwelling mammals including pika and hyrax.
Species found in this habitat include gray-crowned rosy finch, pika and golden mantled ground squirrel.

British Dictionary definitions for pika

pika

/ˈpaɪkə/

noun

any burrowing lagomorph mammal of the family Ochotonidae of mountainous regions of North America and Asia, having short rounded ears, a rounded body, and rudimentary tail Also called cony

Word Origin

C19: from Tungusic piika

Word Origin and History for pika

rabbit-like animal of Siberia and North America, 1827, from Tunguse piika.