Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A local name for a sea-bird, presumably a species of Puffinus, formerly abundant on the Bermudas, now supposed to be extinct. By some ornithologists it is considered to be the existing Puffinus obscurus.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An endangered burrowing, nocturnal bird, Pterodroma cahow, from Bermuda; the Bermuda petrel

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Imitative of its cry.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word cahow.

Examples

  • These are the cahow, or Bermuda petrel (Pterodroma cahow), and the locally-termed "chick-of-the-village" (Vireo griseus bermudianus), a subspecies of the white-eyed vireo that has shorter wings, a larger head, and stout legs.

    Bermuda subtropical conifer forests 2007

  • Birds that were overlooked by humans were quickly consumed by introduced pigs, and as a result the cahow was thought to be extinct as early as the mid-1600s.

    Bermuda subtropical conifer forests 2007

  • Bermuda holds the distinction of having passed the first conservation laws in the New World, protecting the cahow (Pterodroma cahow) and other birds as early as 1616 and limiting the uses of native cedar as early as 1622.

    Bermuda subtropical conifer forests 2007

  • Highly endangered endemics include the Bermuda petrel (Pterodroma cahow), whose nesting sites are currently restricted to a few outlying islets, and the Bermuda skink (Eumeces longirostris).

    Bermuda subtropical conifer forests 2007

  • Bermuda’s isolation led to the evolution of many endemic species, including the endangered Bermuda petrel (Pterodroma cahow), the Bermuda skink (Eumeces longirostris), and many endemic invertebrates.

    Bermuda 2009

  • Bermuda’s isolation led to the evolution of many endemic species, including the endangered Bermuda petrel (Pterodroma cahow), the Bermuda skink (Eumeces longirostris), and many endemic invertebrates.

    Bermuda subtropical conifer forests 2007

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.