Mother Carey's chicken

English

Noun

Mother Carey's chicken (plural Mother Carey's chickens)

1. (originally nautical) The storm petrel.
   • 1773, James Cook, The Journals, Second Voyage, 27 December:

     A few blue petrels, black sheer-waters and Mather Caries chickens are all the birds we see.

   • 1874, Alfred Edmund Brehm, Bird-life, tr. by H.M. Labouchere and W. Jesse, page 866:

     Ten or fifteen dark little birds […] these are "Mother Carey's chickens," the "water-witches," Stormy Petrels, which are so familiar to the eye of the sailor, and the sight of which he dreads so much; […]

   • c. 1917, Royal Dixon, The human side of birds, page 215:

     There is no doubt that the stormy petrel has learned to imitate the motion of the waves, flying with motions not unlike those of certain fish. […] These strange little "water-witches" or Mother Carey's chickens are familiar to all sea-travellers.

   • 2004, Nicholas Shakespeare, In Tasmania, Harvill Press, page 36:

     Kemp watched sperm whales and green turtles and hundreds of gulls and petrels – known as “Mother Carey's chickens” – that flew around the ship with piercing screams.