ScienceSeptember 1, 2026
granivore
GRAN-ih-vor
Definition
An animal that subsists primarily or exclusively on seeds and grain.
Etymology
Derived from the Latin words 'granum' (grain) and 'vorare' (to devour), entering English in the mid-19th century to describe the dietary habits of specific animals.
In the news
The article classifies the house sparrow as a granivore to explain why it failed as a caterpillar-control agent, as the bird prefers grain over insects.
In 1852 the Brooklyn Institute released eight pairs of house sparrows to eat the caterpillars stripping the borough's shade trees, and topped the colony up with more birds from England the next year; the sparrows mostly ignored the caterpillars — they eat grain
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