Gygis

/ˈɡɪ.dʒɪs/ noun

Definition

A genus of small white seabirds found in tropical and subtropical oceans, commonly known as noddies or terns.

Etymology

From New Latin scientific nomenclature, likely derived from an onomatopoetic or local name for these birds. The genus was formally classified by ornithologists in the 18th or 19th century.

Kelly Says

Gygis alba, the white tern, is one of the few terns that doesn't build nests—it just balances its single egg on a tree branch or rock, trusting that the egg won't roll off, which seems impossibly risky but somehow works.

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