ornithophilic

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English

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Etymology

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From ornitho- +‎ -philic.

Adjective

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ornithophilic (comparative more ornithophilic, superlative most ornithophilic)

  1. Fond of birds.
    Synonyms: aviphilic, bird-loving
    • 2010, Mark Bonta, “Ethno-ornithology and Biological Conservation”, in Sonia Tidemann, Andrew Gosler, editors, Ethno-ornithology: Birds, Indigenous Peoples, Culture and Society, London: Earthscan, →ISBN, pages 21–22:
      In countries such as the US, bird-feeding, birdwatching, and other types of ornithophilic behaviour form the basis of huge conservation efforts, in tandem with science.
  2. (entomology) That feeds on birds.
    Synonym: aviphilic
    • 2007, Hugh Pennington, ‘The Problem with Biodiversity’, London Review of Books, volume 29, number 9:
      When the birds leave their breeding sites in the autumn the mosquito turns to humans. The London Underground molestus are not ornithophilic. We have nothing to fear from them.
    • 2009, Encyclopedia of Microbioology, page 316:
      Unlike the alphaviruses that produce arthritis, human cases occur in an epizootic from an enzootic cycle involving passerine birds and ornithophilic mosquitoes.