petrel

American  

[pe-truhl] / ˈpɛ trəl /

noun

1. any of numerous tube-nosed seabirds of the families Procellariidae, Hydrobatidae, and Pelecanoididae.

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petrel British  

/ ˈpɛtrəl /

noun

1. any oceanic bird of the order Procellariiformes, having a hooked bill and tubular nostrils: includes albatrosses, storm petrels, and shearwaters See also storm petrel

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Etymology

Origin of petrel

1670–80; earlier pitteral, of uncertain origin; perhaps altered by association with St. Peter (who attempted to walk on the water of Lake Gennesareth), alluding to the bird's habit of flying close to the ocean surface

Example Sentences

Red soil and lava rocks dominate the high-altitude landscape, which is also home to endangered and threatened species like the nene, the Hawaiian goose, and the Hawaiian petrel, an endangered seabird.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 7, 2023

The team also resighted a Leach's storm petrel banded there 31 years ago.

From Salon • Jan. 7, 2022

Hundreds of threatened species have benefited worldwide from invasive mammal removal, Kurle said, including six birds common on the Farallon Islands — among them the storm petrel, the tufted puffin and the Brandt’s cormorant.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2021

The word "petrel" was painted in 3ft letters, next to the flawlessly spelt word "exit" and some perfectly drawn arrows, on the approach to the pumps at the Sainsbury's Edenthorpe store in September 2016.

From BBC • Jul. 7, 2017

But no, it’s a storm petrel with its wide black wings, soft gray underbelly.

From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon