The term has been extensively treated in Landsberger 1966. According to Landsberger, the interpretation of k. as ‘hen’ (widespread in earlier studies and accepted in AHw.) is completely untenable; the same is true about von Soden’s comparison of k. to some IE terms for ‘hen’. Landsberger carefully analyzes the evidence for translating k. as ‘crane’ (with references to earlier works by Campbell Thompson, Tallquist, Wiseman) but prefers the interpretation ‘goose’. As can be inferred from the fn. 52, he regards the WS terms such as Mnd.
kurkia, Arb.
kurkiyy- etc. as Akkadisms, but fails to explain the meaning shift ‘goose’ > ‘crane’. See further Salonen 1973:216ff.