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Glite Dictionary
boatswain bird

boatswain bird

9.9
A mostly white tropical bird with webbed feet and long tail feathers that lives at sea
  • noun
  • /ˈboʊtswən bɜrd/
translation icon : pájaro tropicbird
  • Researchers spotted a flock of boatswain birds nesting on the remote island.

Examples

  • The distinctive tail feathers make the boatswain bird easy to recognize at sea.

  • The graceful boatswain bird soared effortlessly above the ship's mast.

  • The boatswain bird is known for its striking white feathers.

  • Have you ever seen a boatswain bird in the wild?

  • Researchers spotted a flock of boatswain birds nesting on the remote island.

  • The distinctive tail feathers make the boatswain bird easy to recognize at sea.

  • The graceful boatswain bird soared effortlessly above the ship's mast.

Synonyms

tropicbird
vsboatswain bird
8.7

A mostly white sea bird with webbed feet and long tail feathers that lives far from land

is the same in meaning but often written as two words
tropic bird
vsboatswain bird
8.2

A mostly white sea bird with webbed feet and long tail feathers that lives in warm seas far from land

is the same in meaning but given as the single word form

Surface Forms

boatswain bird singular
boatswain birds plural

Morphology

boatswain + bird

The element 'bird' is fully transparent, and 'boatswain' (a ship's officer) cues a maritime association, so a learner who knows both words can infer this refers to a seabird often associated with ships. However, the exact identification as a tropicbird and the conventional name are not directly predictable from the parts, and 'boatswain' is relatively rare, so the relation is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Boatswain bird may come from sailors who heard the bird's sharp calls and thought they sounded like a boatswain's whistle, so they linked boatswain and bird. That's why the name now refers to a white seabird often seen near ships and far from land.