sheathbill

[ sheeth-bil ]

/ ˈʃiθˌbɪl /

noun

either of two white sea birds, Chionis alba or C. minor, of the colder parts of the Southern Hemisphere: so called from the horny sheath covering the base of the upper bill.

Words nearby sheathbill

sheatfish, sheath, sheath knife, sheath of eyeball, sheath of schwann, sheathbill, sheathe, sheathing, sheave, sheaves, sheba

Origin of sheathbill

First recorded in 1775–85; sheath + bill²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sheathbill

Here I found two pairs of the sheathbill (Chionis alba) a bird whose place in the system has puzzled ornithologists.
Voyage Of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Vol. 2 (of 2)|John MacGillivray

British Dictionary definitions for sheathbill

sheathbill

/ (ˈʃiːθˌbɪl) /

noun

either of two pigeon-like shore birds, Chionis alba or C. minor, of antarctic and subantarctic regions, constituting the family Chionididae: order Charadriiformes. They have a white plumage and a horny sheath at the base of the bill

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012