In forested areas, they often visit the flowers of
Loranthus (=
Dendrophthoe) and
Viscum species, the seeds of which are dispersed mainly by this and other flowerpecker species. The berries of these epiphytic parasites are usually swallowed whole (they sometimes pinch fruits and discard the seeds while feeding on the pulp but this technique is more often used by the syntopic
thick-billed flowerpecker) and the seeds are voided after a rapid passage through their gut in about three to four minutes. The voided seed has a sticky coating and the bird applies its vent to the surface of a suitable perch and may turn around so as to get rid of the seed, which then sticks onto the branch where it may subsequently germinate. The flowers of
Dendrophthoe falcata are pollinated by this species. The flower bud has a mechanism that causes pollen to explosively spray on the plumage of the visiting bird which nips the tips. In urban areas, they are particularly attracted to introduced fruit trees such as
Muntingia calabura, the fruits of which may be swallowed whole or, in the case of ripe berries, crushed and the pulp accessed using their tongue. They also sip nectar from flowers such as those of
Sterculia colorata and
Woodfordia floribunda, pollinating them in the process.
Breeding Tickell's flowerpeckers breed from February to June. A second brood may be raised in September. The nest is a small pendant purse-like structure made of cobwebs, fibre, moss and down suspended from the tip of a twig high up in a tree. The opening is a slit and a clutch of two or three eggs is laid. File:Pale-billed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum erythrorhynchos) with a Muntingia calabura (Singapur cherry) fruit W IMG 8494.jpg|Feeding on a
Muntingia calabura fruit File:Pale-billed_Flowerpecker_by_Shagil_Kannur_6.jpg|Pale-billed Flowerpecker on a
Dendrophthoe falcata File:Pale-billed flowerpecker on a Moringa Tree.jpg| ==References==