sooty tern


noun

a black and white tern, Sterna fuscata, of small tropical islands.
Also called wide-awake.

Origin of sooty tern

First recorded in 1775–85

Example sentences from the Web for sooty tern

  • The sooty-tern is sometimes called the sea-swallow, on account of its form and power of flight.

    Wake-Robin |John Burroughs