little corella

noun

: a small, mostly white cockatoo (Cacatua sanguinea) of Australia and southern New Guinea with patches of bare bluish gray skin about the eyes

Little corellas are usually seen in large flocks, such as the one of at least 100 seen near the Swan Bay jetty last month.

—Trevor Pescott, The Geelong (Australia) Advertiser, 31 Mar. 2009

At dawn, we would rise and race the noisy flocks of squawking little corellas to the gorges—their naked ocher rock faces pasted against Australia's endless ultramarine sky.

—Wayne Arnold, The New York Times, 29 May 2005

called also bare-eyed cockatoo

Word History

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined above

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!