tropic bird

or trop·ic·bird

noun

any of several web-footed seabirds of the family Phaethontidae, chiefly of tropical seas, having white plumage with black markings and a pair of greatly elongated central tail feathers.

Origin of tropic bird

First recorded in 1675–85

Also called boatswain bird.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for tropicbird

tropicbird

noun

any aquatic bird of the tropical family Phaethontidae, having long slender tail feathers and a white plumage with black markings: order Pelecaniformes (pelicans, cormorants, etc)

Word Origin

C17: so called because it is found in the tropical regions

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