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

Not only did they kill and skin the larger species but they caught and caged the finch, honey eater, and miller bird.

From Project Gutenberg

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