moonbird en · NOUN
Etymology
From moon + bird, apparently because the birds return to nesting sites after nightfall.
Meanings
-
(Australia) The mutton bird.
He survived for several months upon the moonbirds’ fatty mutton-like meat & the solace provided by the one book washed up with him […].
2001, Richard Flanagan, Gould's Book of Fish, Vintage, published 2016, page 167:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| moonbirds | Number=Plur | lexicographic |