petrel
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
petrel /ˈpɛtr(ə)l/
▶noun a seabird related to the shearwaters, typically flying far from land. [Many species, chiefly in the family Procellariidae .]
– origin C17: assoc. with St Peter, from the bird's habit of flying low with legs dangling, and so appearing to walk on the water (see Matt. 14:30).
'petrel' also found in these Oxford entries:
