honeycreeper
- noun
- /ˈhʌniˌkripər/
- US
:
honeycreeper
- During our hike, we admired a honeycreeper as it hovered near the blossoms, drawing nectar with its specialized bill.
Examples
-
In the dense rainforest, you can often spot a honeycreeper perched on a branch, brightly colored and ready to feed.
-
The vibrant honeycreeper flitted from flower to flower, expertly using its curved bill to sip nectar.
-
Gone is the Kauai akialoa, a yellow honeycreeper with a two-and-a-half-inch-long curved bill that could penetrate the tubular flowers of the lobelia.
Academic text (1995)
Synonyms
A group of small colorful birds from the Americas often called honeycreepers
A small bright songbird from the Americas that sings
Compounds
- Specialized
Small to medium birds from the Hawaiian Islands that often have bright colors and special beaks
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word honeycreeper comes from the English parts honey and creeper, where honey hints at 'nectar' and creeper is a small bird that moves among branches. So a honeycreeper is a bird that 'creeps' among flowers to drink nectar, which fits its curved bill for feeding.
