insectivorous

American  

[in-sek-tiv-er-uhs] / ˌɪn sɛkˈtɪv ər əs /

adjective

1. feeding on insects, especially when they constitute the entire diet, as in the case of many arachnids, birds, and small mammals.

2. Botany. having specialized leaves or leaf parts capable of trapping and digesting insects, as the Venus flytrap, the pitcher plants, and the sundews.

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insectivorous British  

/ ˌɪnsɛkˈtɪvərəs /

adjective

1. feeding on or adapted for feeding on insects

   insectivorous plants

2. of or relating to the order Insectivora

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Usage

See entomophagy.

Other Word Forms

• insectivory
  noun

Etymology

Origin of insectivorous

First recorded in 1655–65; from New Latin insectivorus, equivalent to insect ( def. ) + -i- ( def. ) + -vorous ( def. )

Example Sentences

The Pacific Islands have 191 known bat species, from tiny insectivorous microbats such as the four-centimeter-long sheath-tailed bats to fruit-eating flying foxes that dangle in trees and have a wingspan of a meter.

From Scientific American • Aug. 28, 2023

"We think bats probably evolved from a small, tree-dwelling, insectivorous mammal," Jones said.

From Reuters • Apr. 13, 2023

In Europe, parallel declines of insectivorous swallows, house martins and swifts have all been linked to insect declines.

From Salon • Mar. 1, 2023

The ancestral virus probably resided in a bat, possibly a horseshoe bat, belonging to a genus of small, insectivorous creatures with horseshoe-shaped noses, which commonly carry coronaviruses.

From National Geographic • Jan. 14, 2021

The first peak of laying reflects activities of the large raptors, and the second peak is that of the insectivorous Burrowing Owl and Loggerhead Shrike.

From The Breeding Birds of Kansas by Johnston, Richard F.