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Glite Dictionary
Sula

Sula

9.7
A large sea bird that lives on warm islands and nests on cliffs
  • noun
  • /ˈsuːlə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sula
  • The Sula soared gracefully above the ocean, searching for fish.

Examples

  • During our trip to the Galapagos Islands, we spotted a beautiful Sula nesting on the cliffs.

  • Birdwatchers travel to tropical regions to observe the distinctive Sula and its vibrant plumage.

  • A sula is a long ballad where a single singer sings the verse as the drums sit silent.

    Academic text (2003)

Synonyms

booby
vsSula
3 8.6

A large sea bird that lives in warm oceans and often has bright feet or a bright beak

refers to the whole genus grouping of related species rather than a single bird
genus Sula
vsSula
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of seabird species like gannets and boobies that live in warm oceans

focuses on boobies as a group rather than including gannets

Compounds

genus Sula
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of seabird species like gannets and boobies that live in warm oceans

Sula bassana
  • Archaic
9.9

A very large white seabird with black wing tips found in the North Atlantic

Surface Forms

Sula singular
Sulas plural

Etymology

Sula comes from an old Norse word súla that meant a 'seabird' or 'gannet', and early naturalists used it for similar big sea birds. That's why Sula is the scientific name for a group of large tropical seabirds known as boobies.