northern storm petrel
- noun
- /ˈnɔrðərn stɔrm ˈpɛtrəl/
- UK
:
pájaro de tormenta del norte
- We watched a northern storm petrel gliding over the waves during our boat trip.
Examples
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The northern storm petrel is often seen feeding far from land.
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Many northern storm petrels nest on remote islands.
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Researchers tracked the migration patterns of several northern storm petrels in the Atlantic Ocean.
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The northern storm petrel is known for its agile flying.
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Researchers tracked the migration patterns of several northern storm petrels in the Atlantic Ocean.
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The northern storm petrel is often seen feeding far from land.
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We watched a northern storm petrel gliding over the waves during our boat trip.
Synonyms
1
9.6
A small sea bird with long wings that flies far from land
A small black sea bird with white marks that flies low over waves
A small dark seabird with white marks that flies low over the sea in storms
A small seabird with dark feathers and pale belly that flies over the sea near storms
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a plainly descriptive noun phrase: 'petrel' is a seabird, 'storm' qualifies the kind of petrel (association with stormy seas), and 'northern' indicates its geographic range. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words can readily infer it denotes a seabird found in northern areas and associated with storms, so the meaning is compositional and transparent.
Etymology
Northern storm petrel comes from sailors' stories: these tiny sea birds often appear when bad weather comes ('storms') and seem to 'walk' on the water with quick steps, like the tale of St. Peter walking on the sea. So storm and petrel link the bird to storms and that walking-on-water image, and 'northern' just shows where it lives.