TROPIC BIRD

[tropic bird] n (ca. 1681): any of a genus (Phaethon of the family Phaethontidae) of web-footed birds that are related to the pelicans, are found chiefly in tropical seas often far from land, and have mostly white satiny plumage marked with a little black, a greatly elongated central pair of tail feathers, and a bright-colored bill