honeyeater
noun
hon·ey·eat·er
ˈhə-nē-ˌē-tər 
: any of a family (Meliphagidae) of oscine birds chiefly of the South Pacific that have a long extensible tongue adapted for extracting nectar and small insects from flowers
Examples of honeyeater in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The helmeted honeyeater was an especially extreme case.
—
Emily Anthes Chang W. Lee, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2024
Expedition Cyclops also rediscovered Mayr’s honeyeater, a species of bird not seen for 15 years.
—Natalie Kainz, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2023
These feeders attracts nectarivores, like the hummingbird, sunbird, and honeyeater.
—Kristen (kj) Callihan, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Mar. 2023
Widespread habitat loss has seen the Regent honeyeater population decline below 400, and those individuals are scattered sparsely across the remaining 300,000km2 of their habitat.
—The Economist, 17 Mar. 2021
For example, although it is derived from a mountain range, the species name of Vosea whitemanensis (a gray-and-olive honeyeater endemic to the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea) now appears rather questionable.
—Kate Evans, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2020
Several Kangaroo Island species, including the Kangaroo Island crimson rosella and Kangaroo Island white-eared honeyeater, are among birds being assessed for an endangered listing.
—Lisa Cox, Wired, 3 Oct. 2020
But the specific types of rare gum tree blossoms that the honeyeaters prefer to feed on, and nest near, could be in short supply.
—John Pickrell, Science | AAAS, 17 Dec. 2019
Hummingbirds were the most common target, but mantises also went after warblers, sunbirds, honeyeaters, flycatchers, vireos and European robins.
—Natalie Angier, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2017
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Emily Anthes Chang W. Lee, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2024
Expedition Cyclops also rediscovered Mayr’s honeyeater, a species of bird not seen for 15 years.
—Natalie Kainz, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2023
These feeders attracts nectarivores, like the hummingbird, sunbird, and honeyeater.
—Kristen (kj) Callihan, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Mar. 2023
Widespread habitat loss has seen the Regent honeyeater population decline below 400, and those individuals are scattered sparsely across the remaining 300,000km2 of their habitat.
—The Economist, 17 Mar. 2021
For example, although it is derived from a mountain range, the species name of Vosea whitemanensis (a gray-and-olive honeyeater endemic to the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea) now appears rather questionable.
—Kate Evans, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2020
Several Kangaroo Island species, including the Kangaroo Island crimson rosella and Kangaroo Island white-eared honeyeater, are among birds being assessed for an endangered listing.
—Lisa Cox, Wired, 3 Oct. 2020
But the specific types of rare gum tree blossoms that the honeyeaters prefer to feed on, and nest near, could be in short supply.
—John Pickrell, Science | AAAS, 17 Dec. 2019
Hummingbirds were the most common target, but mantises also went after warblers, sunbirds, honeyeaters, flycatchers, vireos and European robins.
—Natalie Angier, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2017
Dictionary Entries Near honeyeater
Cite this Entry
“Honeyeater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/honeyeater. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share