storm petrel

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

storm′ pet′rel, 

1. Birds any of several small, tube-nosed seabirds of the family Hydrobatidae, usually having black or sooty-brown plumage with a white rump.

Also, storm′-pet′rel. Cf. stormy petrel. 

• 1795–1805

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

storm petrel noun

1. any small petrel, such as the northern Hydrobates pelagicus, of the family Hydrobatidae, typically having a dark plumage with paler underparts
   Also called: Mother Carey's chicken, stormy petrel

Etymology: 19th Century: so named because it was thought to be a harbinger of rough weather