Striated Pardalote
Pardalotus striatus
Tiny colorful bird with white stripes on the wing. Note that the white eyebrow transitions to yellow closer to the bill. There are many different subspecies, and plumage varies across its range. Bill short and black, back gray, black cap with varied levels of white streaking. Found in a wide range of habitats. Call, which varies across its range, is in some places a clear, repetitive “chew chew”.
Identification
The striated pardalote's plumage varies considerably across its range. The crown is black, with subspecies substriatus, striatus and ornatus having white streaks. The eyebrow is white, starting with a yellow mark near the beak. All races have a white stripe on the wing and olive backs. The nominate race has a yellow spot on the wing, whilst the other subspecies have a red dot. The male and female are similar, juveniles have duller plumage. Similar species include the spotted pardalote and the red-browed pardalote.
Taxonomy
The striated pardalote was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the manakins in the genus Pipra and coined the binomial name Pipra striata. Gmelin based his description on the "striped-headed manakin" that had been described and illustrated in 1783 by the English ornithologist John Latham in his book A General Synopsis of Birds. Latham had examined a specimen in the collection of the naturalist Joseph Banks. The type locality is Tasmania. The striated pardalote is now placed with the three other pardalotes in the genus Pardalotus that was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot.<p>Six subspecies are recognised:<p>In the past, the nominate, substriatus and ornatus races were sometimes treated as separate species. The three northern races uropygialis, melvillensis and melanocephalus were treated as a fourth species. They are all now considered as subspecies of the striated pardalote as there is substantial evidence of interbreeding.
- Scientific name
- Pardalotus striatus
- Authority
- (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pardalotidae
- Genus
- Pardalotus
Range and habitat
Striated pardalotes occupy a vast range of habitat types from tall mountain rainforest to arid scrubland, although they favour eucalyptus forest and woodlands. They are found in all parts of Australia except some of the Western Australian deserts.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Striated pardalotes feed on insects and insect larvae. They usually do so in the high foliage of eucalyptus trees, but may come closer to the ground where there are lower shrubs. Feeding takes place in small groups.<p>Breeding occurs from June to February. Two to five white, oval-shaped eggs are laid in a nest is made of bark fiber, rootlets and fine grass, and placed in tree hollow, a tunnel excavated in the side of a bank or within crevices in man-made objects. Both sexes incubate and care for the young.<p>Call is a clear, sharp, musical witta-witta, the second part slightly lower, repeated regularly in intervals for long periods; striated pardalotes also give off soft, low trills.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Streptopelia decaocto
Large pale dove with a black crescent on the nape. Slightly smaller and paler than Rock Pigeon, with a proportionately longer, square-tipped tail. Favors farms and suburbs; avoids areas with extensive forests. Typically seen in pairs or small loose groups; forms larger flocks in winter. Widespread and common throughout much of Eurasia and northern Africa. Introduced to, and established in, much of North America, the Caribbean, and parts of Central America. Compare with African Collared-Dove, which may occur in small feral populations or as an escapee throughout Eurasian Collared-Dove’s range. Especially note tail pattern from below: mostly white, contrasting with the grayish undertail coverts, and with black extending down the outer edge of the tail feathers. Voice - a cooing “woop-WOOO!-woop” - is also helpful.
Rock Eagle-Owl
Bubo bengalensis
Large brown “horned owl” of rocky hills and semi-desert, as well as thorn scrub and groves in arid areas. Very similar in appearance to Eurasian Eagle-Owl, but note weaker streaking on the underparts and smaller size; range overlap is limited. Hoot is higher-pitched than that of Eurasian Eagle-Owl, a sonorous “bou-woo.”
White-throated Antpitta
Grallaria albigula
Plump bicolored bird with long gray legs. Brown above and light gray below, with an orange-red head, a white throat, and a white eye-ring. Found in the understory of dense montane forest. Listen for a breathy two-noted whistle, the second note slightly higher than the first: “hoo, hoot?”
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