(adjective) Describes a diet that consists substantially of pollen. While no birds are exclusively palynivores, birds that are nectivorous often consume pollen in the course of sipping nectar from flowers. Hummingbirds, honeycreepers and sunbirds have a palynivorous component to their diet, usually as an opportunistic food source along with nectar rather than deliberately seeking out pollen by itself.
Palynivorous birds are important to the ecosystem because they serve a critical role as pollinators between plants as they feed. Additional pollen that sticks to a bird's bill, forehead, chin or throat can be transferred between flowers, ensuring that additional flowers can be produced for future food sources.
Providing flowers that attract hummingbirds and other palynivorous bird species can be another natural food source for backyard birds, and the birds will happily help pollinate the flowers to keep them coming back for more attractive blooms.
Photo – Tui © Sid Mosdell
pah-lih-NIH-vore-us
Pollen-Eating, Palynivore (noun)
