Definition of "gooney" [gooney]

• An albatross, especially the black-footed albatross. Also called gooney bird. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Thus, while I can't speak to how Spike Milligan came up with the title of "The Goon Show," it's clear that the term "gooney" and probably the short form "goon" was widely used in England going back to the early 19th century."
• "“The gooney birds are no longer with us,” reported Task Force Times that day."
• "Unlike France, nobody much goes there, aside from the native gooney birds."