rookery
RUUK-uh-ree
Definition
A breeding colony of gregarious animals, such as seals, penguins, or seabirds.
Etymology
Originating in the 17th century, the word originally referred to a colony of rooks, a type of bird in the crow family. It was later extended to describe the breeding grounds of other animals that nest or gather in large, noisy groups.
In the news
In the article, the term is used to describe the beach where researchers recovered the depth-recording device after the elephant seal returned from her migration. It signifies the site where these animals aggregate for breeding and resting.
A single female elephant seal was fitted with a depth logger and sent back to sea, and it turned out she was diving more than a mile straight down into darkness so complete it has never seen sunlight, holding her breath for the better part of two hours, again an
Read the full article ↗ScienceBlog.com