Meaning of softbilled | Babel Free

Definitions

Of birds, preferring to feed on relatively soft foods, such as insects or fruits.

not-comparable

Examples

“Most of the softbilled birds feed on insects, and not on grain or seeds, and therefore usually retire before winter; but the following, though they eat insects, remain with us during the whole year […]”

“For softbilled British and foreign birds a liberal supply of ripe, juicy fruits and berries, such as cherries, strawberries, raspberries, or currants, may be very usefully employed, in addition to an increased supply of natural insects, caterpillars, larvæ, and the thousand and one other forms of insect life which are now so abundant everywhere.”

“These birds can be kept very well in a well-planted aviary on the standard softbilled diet, with the addition of raw minced meat, 12 mealworms daily, and if possible other kinds of live insects.”

“Like all softbilled insect and fruit eaters, if kept in a cage, the bottom of the cage should be lined with blotting or newspaper rather than sand, to absorb the damp droppings.”

CEFR level