parrotfish
/ˈpɛrətˌfɪʃ/
noun
- A brightly colored tropical fish with a beak-like mouth that it uses to scrape algae from coral and rocks.
- Parrotfish play an important role in keeping coral reefs healthy by eating algae.
- While snorkeling, we saw a bright blue parrotfish nibbling on the coral.
- The parrotfish uses its strong teeth to crunch up pieces of coral and then excretes fine sand.