storm petrel—any of various small sea birds of the family Hydrobatidae of the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean:
- As for birds, the colonies of yellow-legged gull and the nesting of the storm petrel are worth mentioning.
Note: The expression is not equivalent in meaning to the phrase storm bird—
1. Common Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea) a member of the cuckoo family:
- From a tree several yards away could be heard the monotonous coo-ee of a bird which Claud told them was the Koel, otherwise known as the storm bird.
2. Channel-billed Cuckoo (Scythrops novaehollandiae) a member of the cuckoo family:
- Did you know that a Channel-billed Cuckoo is the proper name for the bird we commonly know as the storm bird?
stormy petrel—
1. = storm petrel:
- Of the two species the true stormy petrel is found in the North Atlantic, south to the Newfoundland Banks and the western coast of Africa.
2. smb. who brings discord or appears at the onset of trouble:
- The stormy petrel from West Bengal is known for her penchant for hurling insinuations at persons holding office.