honeycreeper

noun

hon·​ey·​creep·​er ˈhə-nē-ˌkrē-pər 

1

: any of numerous small bright-colored oscine birds (especially genus Cyanerpes of the family Thraupidae) of tropical America

2

: any of a family (Drepanididae) of often colorful oscine birds found only in Hawaii

Illustration of honeycreeper

• honeycreeper 2

Examples of honeycreeper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Of the more than 50 species of honeycreepers that once lived throughout the islands, just 17 remain today. — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 June 2025

This has been observed in a bird in Colombia called the green honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza), as well as in some bees, butterflies, spiders, and stick insects. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 22 Apr. 2026

The disease, which can be fatal, utterly devastated the state’s forest birds, and especially a group of species in the finch family known as honeycreepers. — Benji Jones, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018

Originally, the Aedes aegypti mosquito was restricted to Hawai’i’s lower elevations, which allowed some of Hawai’i’s honeycreepers to live at higher elevations and thus survive. — Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for honeycreeper

• beekeeper
• bookkeeper
• doorkeeper
• gamekeeper
• gatekeeper
• goalkeeper
• housekeeper
• innkeeper
• minesweeper
• peacekeeper
• shopkeeper
• storekeeper