Mother Carey's chicken

English Noun Mother Carey's chicken en 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. en 1874 Alfred Edmund Brehm Bird-life, tr. by H.M. Labouchere and W. Jesse 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; en c. 1917 Royal Dixon The human side of birds 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. en eponyms en Tubenose birds