English

A spotted pardalote, Pardalotus punctatus

Noun

pardalote ‎(plural pardalotes)

1. Any of the Australian birds of the family Pardalotidae, which feed on lerps.
   • 2011, Penny Olsen, Leo Joseph, Stray Feathers: Reflections on the Structure, Behaviour and Evolution of Birds, CSIRO Publishing, page 258,

     Pardalotes, honeyeaters and thornbills are among several birds that feed on carbohydrate-rich sugars from trees: manna, the crystalline sap which oozes from injuries to trees made by insects or other animals; honeydew, the exudate of sap-sucking coccids and aphids; and lerps, the protective sugary coating of psyllid larvae.

   • 2011, Ian Fraser, Peter Marsack, A Bush Capital Year: A Natural History of the Canberra Region, page 137,

     They are pardalotes, tiny little feathered jewels with stubby bills and stubby tails, giving an oddly ladybird-like silhouette.

   • 2016 March 12, Mining bird farms trees for manna, New Scientist, Issue 3064, page 16,

     The forty-spotted pardalote (Pardalotus quadragintus) is the first Australian bird found to encourage trees to release manna, a sugary crystallised sap.

Synonyms

• (any bird of family Pardalotidae): peep-wren

See also

• pardalote on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Pardalotidae on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Pardalotidae on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons