A teeny tiny bird wearing a fluffy little cinnamon tutu topped off with a cute black and white spotted polka dot cap.
Meet the Spotted pardalote
Photo Courtesy of Steve Bittinger / CC BY 2.0
The spotted pardalote (Pardalotus punctatus), is one of the smallest of all Australian birds at 8 to 10 centimeters (3.1 to 3.9 in) in length. Also, one of Australia’s more colorful birds the Spotted pardalote is also sometimes known as the Diamond bird. The male has pale-buff-cinnamon breast and belly, a black crown with white spots, white eyebrows, and a reddish, almost crimson rump.
Photo Courtesy of patrickkavanagh / CC BY 2.0
His upper parts are black, wings and tail are also black, flecked with white spots.
The female, overall, is duller than the male with finer spotting.
Photo Courtesy of patrickkavanagh / CC BY 2.0
The Spotted pardalote is reasonably common in the east coast, southeast, and southwest corner of the Australian continent.
Photo Courtesy of Francesco Veronesi / CC BY 2.0
The Spotted pardalote likes to live in eucalyptus forests and woodlands, however, it can also be found in parks and gardens with well-developed eucalypt canopy.
Photo Courtesy of Campbelltown City Council, Mark Walters / CC BY 2.0
These birds forage in the foliage of trees for insects, especially psyllids that exude a sugary extract. It will also look for leaves that exude a similar substance.
Photo Courtesy of butupa / CC BY 2.0
During the breeding season, which is from August to September, or December or January, Spotted pardalotes might build their nest in urban and suburban areas, sometimes even nesting in garage roller doors or carpet rolls. Typically they build their nests inside horizontal tunnels they dig into a roadside berm or eroded streambanks. Occasionally they can, and will, nest inside nesting boxes, tree cavities. The eggs are incubated for 19 days until they hatch, with the young fully-fledged after 21 days.
Photo Courtesy of patrickkavanagh / CC BY 2.0
Despite the fact this species population seems to be declining, due to their large range, this decline does not appear to be sufficiently rapid enough to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the ICUN guidelines.
Photo Courtesy of Francesco Veronesi / CC BY 2.0
Watch and listen to this bird right here below:
H/T Wikipedia – Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
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