shearwater
Aug. 25th, 2021 07:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prettygoodwordshearwater (SHEER-waw-ter, SHEER-wot-er) - n., any of several long-winged medium-sized pelagic seabirds that appear to shear the water with their wing tips when flying low.
About 30 species in the genera Puffinus, Ardenna, and Calonectris, all in the family Procellariidae -- the petrals. The "pelagic" part means they spend their time entirely away from land except when nesting. First attested around 1670, etymology is indicated in the definition. The greater shearwater, though it isn't actually shearing the water in this pic:
Thanks, WikiMedia!
---L.
About 30 species in the genera Puffinus, Ardenna, and Calonectris, all in the family Procellariidae -- the petrals. The "pelagic" part means they spend their time entirely away from land except when nesting. First attested around 1670, etymology is indicated in the definition. The greater shearwater, though it isn't actually shearing the water in this pic:
Thanks, WikiMedia!
---L.
