honey eater

American

Or honeyeater

noun

any of numerous oscine birds of the family Meliphagidae, chiefly of Australasia, having a bill and tongue adapted for extracting the nectar from flowers.

honey-eater British

/ ˈhʌnɪˌiːtə /

noun

any small arboreal songbird of the Australasian family Meliphagidae, having a downward-curving bill and a brushlike tongue specialized for extracting nectar from flowers

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of honey eater

First recorded in 1725–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It is also a honey eater; and roams about in quest of the hives of the indigenous bees.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023