Members of Loranthaceae, popularly
known as misletoes, are semiparasitic angiosperms.
They mostly attack dicotyledons
and gymnosperms and cause more economic
loss than any other angiospermic parasite.
Birds play an important role in the dispersal
of mistletoes. Sunbirds and the flowerpeckers
are the main dispersal agents of the
broad leaved mistletoes (Ali 1931, Weeraratna
1959, Gill and Hawkworth 1961,
Singh 1962, Ghosh ct al. 1984). Davidar
( 1980) reported that frugivorous birds such
as bulbuls and barbets also helped in dispersal
of mistletoes. The ripe one-seeded
berry of mistletoes contains a sweet viscid
pulp surrounding the seed. During feeding,
the birds squeeze the viscid seed out of the
epicarp by their beak, throw the epicarp
and swallow and excrete the seed on to a
branch (Ali 1931). Davidar (1980) also
reported that a flowerpecker Dicaeum concolor
( Dicaeidae ) used a different technique
to disperse the seed. The flesh alone is
eaten, epicarp is dropped and the seed is
rubbed off from its bill on to a branch.