 Honeyeaters prefer to forage at individual flowers which have only just opened , as these offer the most nectar . As they probe for nectar , honeyeaters end up with large quantities of pollen on their beaks , foreheads and throats , some of which they subsequently transfer to other flowers . This transfer is quite efficient : flowers typically lose nearly all their pollen within four hours of opening , and pollen is deposited on the majority of stigmata . Around 15 % of these stigmata end up with pollen lodged in the stigmatic groove , a prerequisite to fertilisation . 
