Who’s a pretty bird - Striated Pardalotes in the Capertee Valley
21These Striated Pardalotes (Pardalotus striatus) were filmed in March 2019 in the Capertee Valley, NSW. The footage shows at least three individuals visiting an artificial pond across one and a half hours on a single day. In the first scenes the camera is trained directly on the water, while other footage shows how the pardalotes survey the pond area from overhead branches before flying to ground level. Note the slight difference in white wing-stripe width. The second bird shown is almost certainly the subspecies ornatus, as might be the first one. Differences in head plumage suggest that the first bird could be younger (say, transitioning from juvenile to adult). But the third pardalote (at 2.33 mark) seems to have a wider stripe and is thus likely to be subspecies substriatus, although a hybrid between the two subspecies is another possibility.
These pretty little birds are Australia’s largest pardalote. Nonetheless, they are just as hard to glimpse in the tree canopy as their even tinier relative, the Spotted Pardalote. Both species can be found in the open forests, woodlands, revegetated areas and paddock trees of the Capertee Valley. Although they typically forage in the foliage of tree crowns, filming opportunities arise when they visit the understorey and ground for nesting and drinking. But generally, they are more often heard than seen. One of the Striated Pardalote calls is part of the soundtrack for the second and third photos. The Spotted Pardalote can also be heard more subtly. (The sound for Photo 1 was collected at the same time as the photo was taken, which was earlier than the filming session. The trees shown are only metres away from the pond.) For more Striated Pardalote calls go to https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Pardalotus-striatus To read about these exquisite birds visit http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Pardalotus-striatus