Dicaeidae(flowerpeckers, pardalotes; class Aves, order Passeriformes) A family of small, often brightly coloured, short-tailed birds, whose bills vary from being thin and curved to stout, some being serrated. The birds are arboreal and often gregarious, feeding on insects, nectar, and fruit, and nesting in trees (flowerpeckers) or in holes in trees or banks (pardalotes). The 36 species of Dicaeum (flowerpeckers) build domed, pendant nests and many act as disseminators of seeds (e.g. D. hirundinaceum (mistletoe-bird) scatters mistletoe seeds). There are seven genera in the family, with 58 species, found from southern Asia to Australia.

flowerpeckers See DICAEIDAE.