Striated Pardalote

Description:

Length=100-120mm. Sexes are alike, or crown of the female is scalloped fawn in the northern race. Black crown with or without white streaks. Back gray-brown, or rufous or yellow on rump. Black wings with small red to yellow spot at the shoulder tip; out of flight feathers with narrow or broad white stripe; inner flight feathers are edged rufous or white. Black tail tipped with white. Brow stripe is a rich yellow to white over eye; black stripe though eye over cheeks plain or flecked gray-white. Underparts are all cream-white with a yellow line down centre throat forking over sides of breast. Tan-grey eye. Black bill. Dusky brown feet. Immature = As adults but crown and face olive-gray. An all cream brow.

Habitat:

Almost the whole of Australia, in open Eucalypt forest and woodland. Aerial displaying on the Mulberry Tree, in my backyard.

Notes:

These little “blokes” were enjoying time in my backyard. The call is repeated soft trills in contact = cheeoo or pee-ew, pee-ew. Song = Loud, sharp, stuttered chips which are run together in two to four syllables on same pitch; repeated in rapid-fire bursts = chip-chip or pik-pik or pik-it-up or wi-di-dup or wi-di-di-dup. Much dialectic variation, even in local populations. These photos have been edited. The last photo was taken on 16/08/2019. Reference:- Readers Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds.