Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun One of the blue petrels of the genus Prion, several species of which inhabit the southern ocean.
- noun The turn stone, Strepsilas interpres.
- noun The red or gray phalarope.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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There is, for instance, the whale-bird, perfectly black on the top of the wings and body, and white underneath.
A Boy's Voyage Round the World Samuel Smiles 1858
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The name by which they are known to the sailors is the whale-bird; they appear to take their food upon the wing, for I have never yet seen them sit upon the waters even for a single second, although I have observed them frequently, and at all hours; but night and day they hurry on with the same restless, rapid flight, sometimes going in large flocks; and I have never upon shore seen so many birds assembled upon a few square miles as
Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia, Volume 1 George Grey 1855
chained_bear commented on the word whale-bird
"...it was perhaps a little too early to hope for the larger albatrosses there was a strong likelihood of mallemawks, blue petrels, whale-birds and of course many more penguins."
--Patrick O'Brian, The Far Side of the World, 201
February 23, 2008