Striated Pardalote

This Striated Pardalote is another new find for BlipBigYear! ID courtesy Paladian.

Bigger image.

We made a composite image, because it took several images to be able to identify the bird properly. The rear image really shows the feathers for ID purposes.

It was a quite unexpected catch today at the Belair National Park. The Striated Pardalote is a fairly common bird around here, and we even see them in our garden sometimes.

The Striated Pardalote is more common than people usually think, with its call the first indication of the presence of this brightly coloured little bird. There is considerable variation in plumage characteristics across the range of this species.

All birds have white eyebrows with a yellow spot in front of the eye, olive-grey backs and a white stripe in the wing. Both male and female are similar in plumage.

The Striated Pardalote is found throughout most of Australia, being absent only from the most arid areas. Like other species of pardalotes, it is found only in Australia. They favour eucalypt forests and woodlands.

When feeding, the Striated Pardalotes feed in the foliage in the tops of trees, and eat a wide variety of insects and their larvae.