granivorous

American  

[gruh-niv-er-uhs] / grəˈnɪv ər əs /

adjective

1. (of an animal, especially a bird) eating grain and seeds.

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granivorous British  

/ ɡræˈnɪvərəs /

adjective

1. (of animals) feeding on seeds and grain

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Other Word Forms

• granivore
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of granivorous

First recorded in 1640–50; grani- ( def. ) + -vorous ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

granivorous

The bobolink is an insectivorous bird in the North, or until its brood has flown, and a granivorous bird in the South.

From The Writings of John Burroughs — Volume 05: Pepacton by John Burroughs

In fact, there are few of the granivorous animals that may not be brought to be carnivorous.

From A Journey from Prince of Wales's Fort in Hudson's Bay to the Northern Ocean in the Years 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772 New Edition with Introduction, Notes, and Illustrations by J. B. Tyrrell

If Shakespeare had made the house sparrow, or the blackbird, or the bunting, or any of the granivorous, hard-billed birds, the foster-parent of the cuckoo, his natural history would have been at fault.

From The Writings of John Burroughs — Volume 05: Pepacton by John Burroughs

This bag is very conspicuous in the granivorous tribes immediately after eating.

From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 13, No. 377, June 27, 1829 by Various

The Professorin added in continuation:— "But yet the granivorous birds are no more virtuous than the insectivorous; each kind lives in accordance with its own law."

From Villa Eden: The Country-House on the Rhine by Berthold Auerbach

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