Friends of Fred Caterson Reserve

SPOTTED PARDALOTES IN FRED CATERSON RESERVE

The Spotted Pardalote is a tiny (8-10cm long) insect-eating bird that is most often high in a eucalypt canopy, so it is more often detected by its characteristic call of a repeated 3-note whistle. You will need to listen closely but, once recognised, you might be able to hear it regularly. It forages on the foliage of trees for insects, especially psyllids, and sugary exudates from leaves and psyllids.

The wings, tail and head of the male Spotted Pardalote are black and covered with small, distinct white spots. Males have a pale eyebrow, a yellow throat and a red rump and are very colourful when seen up close. Females are similar but have less-distinct markings.

Typically it nests in an enlarged, lined chamber at the end of a narrow tunnel, excavated in an earth bank. But nests have sometimes been found in carpet rolls and garage roll-a-doors! If you pay attention in your immediate area you might find a nest.

Spotted Pardalote. Photo: Ákos Lumnitzer

This tiny bird remains relatively common in urban areas that have a high density of eucalypts in parks and gardens and has been recorded recently in Fred Caterson Reserve. Like all small birds though it is vulnerable to larger bird species (such as currawongs, kookaburras, ravens) which have become more common in cities and prey on eggs and nestlings.

Did you know? The Spotted Pardalote is sometimes known as the "Headache Bird" because of the continuous "sleep-may-be" call it gives during the breeding season (June to January). It is also sometimes referred to as the diamond bird because of its markings.

Information provided by BirdLife Southern NSW in conjunction with BirdLife Australia's Birds in Backyards Program.

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