northern giant petrel

[ nawr-thern jahy-uhnt pe-truhl ]

noun

1. a large, very aggressive seabird, the giant petrel Macronectes halli, of the Southern Ocean and northward into Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand: differentiated from the southern giant petrel by its reddish bill.

Word History and Origins

Origin of northern giant petrel¹

First recorded in 1975–80