Bird of the Month – Spotted Pardalote

With delicate dots on its head, and a bright and cheerful yellow throat, the spotted pardalote is a little spark of colour that never fails to delight.

These tiny birds, measuring only 8 to 10 centimetres (3.1 to 3.9 inches) in length and weighing around 6 grams, build long horizontal tunnels as their nests, which are usually dug into the soil of creek and river banks.

The spotted pardalote is mostly found in eucalypt forests and woodlands, but can be found in parks and gardens that have a well-established eucalypt canopy, as they like to stay high in tall branches.

With a soft sweet call and exquisite plumage that is like a painting, they truly are proof that good things come in small packages!

by Melissa Marie