Description
Lorikeets and honeyeaters, unlike other birds, have a brush like appendage at the end of their tongue. This brush tongue is an adaptation for gathering pollen, plant secretions (nectar, manna, honeydew) and insect secretions (lerp). Lorikeets and honeyeaters also include fruit and insects in their diets. They obtain essential protein and fatty acids from the pollen or insect component of their diet and carbohydrate from the simple and complex sugars found in plant and insect secretions. They spend much of their time foraging for food and have an absolute requirement for carbohydrate, this being evidenced by the low protein to energy ratio in the diet and the high intestinal disaccharidase activity associated with their digestive physiology.
