petrel
noun
pe·trel
| \ ˈpe-trəl
, ˈpē-
\
, ˈpē-
\
Definition of petrel
: any of numerous seabirds (especially families Procellariidae and Hydrobatidae)
especially
: one of the smaller long-winged birds that fly far from land — compare storm petrel
Examples of petrel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Offshore: Small flocks of red-necked phalaropes, parasitic and pomarine jaegers, roseate terns, and larger groups of storm-petrels and shearwaters numbering into the hundreds were seen from Jeffrey’s Ledge. — BostonGlobe.com, "Bird sightings," 4 Aug. 2019 The explosive growth in mice, which first landed on the islands during the California Gold Rush, has attracted burrowing owls, who not only eat the mice but also prey upon the storm-petrels. — Rosanna Xia, latimes.com, "Plan to dump rat poison on Farallon Islands questioned by California Coastal Commission," 10 July 2019 The islands boast one of the world’s largest breeding colonies for seabirds, including the rare ashy storm-petrel, whose population — half of which lives on the Farallones — has declined in recent decades. — Rosanna Xia, latimes.com, "Plan to dump rat poison on Farallon Islands questioned by California Coastal Commission," 10 July 2019 There has been early storm-petrel sightings in Boston Harbor along with strong plankton bloom and attendant tubenoses located south and east of Cape Cod. — BostonGlobe.com, "Bird sightings across the region," 7 July 2019 The explosive growth in mice has attracted burrowing owls, who not only eat the mice but also prey upon the storm-petrels, a rare bird with a declining population. — Laura Newberry, latimes.com, "The U.S. wants to dump 1.5 tons of rat poison on the Farallon Islands. Biologists say it’s for the best," 7 July 2019 Two royal terns and a Caspian tern were at Race Point in Provincetown, along with 18 piping plovers, 175 least terns, 12 roseate terns, an Arctic tern, 11 Wilson’s storm-petrels, 8 sooty shearwaters, and 5 Manx shearwaters. — BostonGlobe.com, "Bird sightings on Cape Cod," 1 July 2019 With the rats gone, conservationists expect to see an explosion in the number of albatrosses, skuas, terns, petrels, and South Georgia pipits and pintail ducks. — Charlie Hamilton James, National Geographic, "How rats became an inescapable part of city living," 17 June 2019 Others, such as the Kermadec petrel and white-bellied storm petrel, found on surrounding islets, may return on their own—providing this summer's campaign can end the centurylong reign of the rats. — John Pickrell, Science | AAAS, "Mass rodent poisoning on this remote Australian island could bring back giant stick insect," 5 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'petrel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for petrel
petrel
noun
English Language Learners Definition of petrel
: a bird that has long wings and usually dark feathers and that lives mainly on the ocean
See the full definition for petrel in the English Language Learners Dictionary
petrel
noun
pe·trel
| \ ˈpe-trəl
, ˈpē-\
, ˈpē-\
Kids Definition of petrel
: a small seabird with long wings that flies far from land