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A wide variety of animals could be called insectivores--most of the birds, for example, as well as the spiders. Of the amphibians, frogs and many lizards are largely insectivorous. Even some fish get much of their food from insects. The order of mammals called Insectivora contains the shrews, moles, and hedgehogs, though bats and anteaters are also insectivores. Many insects are themselves insectivores; the dragonfly, for instance, is a swift insectivorous terror that lives up to its name. But it's the insectivorous plants that tend to fascinate us; of the over 600 species, the best known are the Venus flytrap (which snaps shut on its prey), the pitcher plants (which drown insects in a tiny pool of water), and the sundews (which capture insects with their sticky surfaces).
Examples of insectivorous in a Sentence
Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
This small insectivorous bird disappeared as rats raided its nests.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
In places where weaver ants weren’t present, insectivorous bird species diversity peaked at low elevations and tapered off higher up in the mountains.
—Byalice Sun, science.org, 25 Sep. 2024
The insectivorous bats are thought to play a key role in the surrounding ecosystems, eating crop pests and controlling disease-bearing mosquitoes.
—Kate Evans, Scientific American, 28 Aug. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Insectivorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insectivorous. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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insectivorous
adjective
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insectivorous
adjective
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