rookery

American  

[rook-uh-ree] / ˈrʊk ə ri /

noun

• rookeries
  plural

1. a breeding place or colony of gregarious birds or animals, as penguins and seals.

2. a colony of rooks.

3. a place where rooks congregate to breed.

4. a crowded tenement house.

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rookery British  

/ ˈrʊkərɪ /

noun

1. a group of nesting rooks

2. a clump of trees containing rooks' nests

3. 1. a breeding ground or communal living area of certain other species of gregarious birds or mammals, esp penguins or seals

   2. a colony of any such creatures

4. archaic an overcrowded slum tenement building or area of housing

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rookery Scientific  

/ rk′ə-rē /

1. A place where certain birds or animals, such as crows, penguins, and seals, gather to breed.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• rookeries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of rookery

First recorded in 1715–25; rook ¹ + -ery

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rookery rookeries

And he said the percentage of animals that have died in the Año Nuevo rookery is relatively small: Only about 5% of weaned pups and 6% of adult males have died.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026

For the study, scientists collected brain samples from four sea lions, one fur seal and a tern found dead at the most affected sea lion rookery in Argentina.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 28, 2024

The expedition was the first to sight an Emperor Penguin rookery and obtain an egg of the species.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2022

Wes piloted the boat across the Maryland state line and into Virginia and rounded a bend partially obscuring the rookery on Chesapeake Bay Foundation land.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 1, 2022

The white raven screamed and went flapping away to perch on the iron railing of the rookery stairs.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

The sea lion breeding and pupping season is fast approaching at main rookeries such as the Channel Islands, according to Giancarlo Rulli, associate director of public relations for the Marine Mammal Center.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026

The females, they say, may make lots of connections at the rookeries where they congregate to give birth.

From Science Magazine ● Dec. 15, 2023

The Jet Skis either deliberately or accidentally can go up too close to the rookeries.

From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2023

Located on Highway 1 between San Francisco and Santa Cruz, Año Nuevo State Park is home to one of the world’s largest rookeries for northern elephant seals.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 3, 2022

Perhaps if one less dragonfly had drowned in the Carboniferous swamps, the intelligent organisms on our planet today would have feathers and teach their young in rookeries.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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Related Words

• hatchery

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